


Across the Multiverse

by PhoenixFeather



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Gen, Gwen is stuck in another universe, That universe doesn't have a Spider-Man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2020-04-07 15:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19087444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixFeather/pseuds/PhoenixFeather
Summary: Friday was supposed to be a normal night. Gwen was just supposed to hop over into Miles’ dimension for their normal hang out, but things had to go and complicate themselves. Now she was stuck in another dimension with a busted goober and no way to get home.





	1. Out of Place

It was 7:00 when Gwen decided to make the jump over to Miles’ dimension. She was dressed in her costume to help a bit with the younger spider’s patrol before their hang out night officially began. She let him know that she was about to hop over. All of the spiders had decided to have their hangout this week at Miles’ Aunt May’s house. All of the spiders held that May close to their hearts. In one way or another, she reminded them of someone close to them, whether it be their own Aunt May or another family member. Aunt May always appreciated the spiders visiting. She would often find herself missing her Peter, and having the spiders around provided her with a sense of familiarity. They helped her to feel like she wasn’t alone.

Gwen had selected Miles’ dimension on her goober, doing one last check to make sure she had everything she needed, including a change of clothes for after their patrol. Once she was sure everything was in order, Gwen pressed the button on her goober and she began her jump to the other dimension. Soon, she was falling through a void like place, the webs of other dimensions standing out against the black background.

Gwen didn’t think she would ever get used to the feeling of jumping from one dimension to another. In this in-between, she felt weightless, while at the same time feeling as though everything was pressing down on her all at once. It was nauseating.

She had almost made it to her destination when something slammed into her, causing her to shift course. It ripped her bag off of her back and sent her spinning. Her limbs flailed about as she tried to steady herself, but without anything to anchor her center of gravity, she was hopelessly spiraling through the multiverse. If she thought she was nauseous before, this didn’t even compare. Her senses were jumbled as time and space seemed to bend around the girl. Her scream came out warped. Soon, Gwen felt herself being pulled with a lot more intensity. The blonde was dragged downward faster and faster, eventually entering the dimension that felt the need to swallow her whole.

She shot out of the sky, moving faster than she had ever gone before. The world around her was a blur, each building melting together. She bounced off of the ground before flying up into the air. As she started to fall again, Gwen shot a web out in an attempt to slow herself down. The first didn’t catch, and neither did the second. This caused the spider to panic a bit. Finally, she had a web catch. Once she felt the webbing become taut, she pulled down, allowing herself to gain control of her movements. Soon enough, she was swinging through the city. When her speed reached a more comfortable level, she landed on the roof of a building.

Once she stopped moving, Gwen immediately looked down at her goober. The device on her wrist looked worse for wear. The face of the device was cracked all over. Gwen found she could still navigate the device, so she opened up the messaging application in hopes of contacting the others. She typed out a quick message.

 

_Guys, I was hit by something while I was in the middle of a jump. I don’t know where I am. I’ll be there as soon as possible._

 

As soon as she hit send, her stomach did somersaults.

 

**ERROR; MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND**

 

She attempted to send another, then another. Each time she attempted to send a message, the same error popped up. This couldn’t be happening. Gwen tried to think of what to do. She was alone and unable to contact the others. The first thing she did was pull up the diagnostics of the goober, praying that she would be able to make another jump.

 

**SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS:**

 

**TOTAL SYSTEMS ONLINE; 33%**

 

**FAILED SYSTEMS:**

**COMMUNICATIONS**

**DIMENSIONAL TRANSLOCATOR**

 

**STABLE SYSTEMS:**

**DIMENSIONAL STABILIZER**

 

**DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE**

 

The sinking feeling Gwen felt earlier worsened as she read the results of the test. She couldn’t talk to the others. She couldn’t get home. She was stuck without any way to get help. The only good thing to come out of this was that the goober’s stabilizing feature was working and she wouldn’t be glitching during her stay in this dimension. Gwen took a shaky breath before collecting herself once more, then she got an idea.

Find Spider-Man, find a way home.

Gwen readied herself, then leapt off the building, beginning her search in the one place that was most likely to have a spider. She headed towards Queens, looking for that house that she had become familiar with over the past several weeks. Unfortunately, Gwen didn’t get very far before her spider sense went off. Before she knew it, she was face to face with a helicopter.

“This is NYPD! You-”

Gwen didn’t stay around to listen. She took a quick turn and swung around the helicopter. She didn’t know how well the Spider-Man of this universe was with the police, so she chose to avoid them. She moved as quick as possible trying her best to get away from the helicopter. The machine didn’t seem to like Gwen’s idea, as it followed her every move, chasing her through the city. It made her very uneasy. She disliked that they were so intent on chasing her down. It made her mind wander to darker places, wondering what the Spider-Man of this dimension had done to have the police so adamant on capturing him.

Gwen kept thinking of what to do as the loud beat of the machine’s blades grew closer and closer. She couldn’t attack, that would cause way too many problems. She needed a solution, quick. Luckily for her, she found her opening in the form of a small gap between buildings. With a quick flick of her wrist, Gwen rocketed herself into the gap and away from the loud _thumps_ of the helicopter. She stopped on the side of a building trying to think of a better way out of this situation. She couldn’t stay in the gap forever. Her eyes flicked to the ground down below. Maybe she could hide in plain sight.

Crawling her way down the building, Gwen began to think of her next step to get to the Parker residence. She needed something to cover up with. They had obviously seen her suit, so walking around with that on was off the table. Once she had reached the ground, she felt her spider sense tugging at the back of her head once again. They were back. Gwen moved as fast as she could, hiding behind a dumpster. Once she was safely hidden, a light found its way into the alley, illuminating the dark strip. Gwen ducked down once the light found the dumpster. She held her breath, hoping that they couldn’t see her. Time seemed to pass slower, ticking at only a fraction of its normal rate. Finally, the light disappeared, leaving Gwen in the dark.

Slowly, the teen made her way out from behind the trash receptacle. That was not something she would want to do again. The girl glanced up and down the alley once more before quickly making her way towards the streets. Before stepping out of the alley, she scanned the streets, looking to see if there was anyone watching. When she confirmed that no one was around, she silently made her way down the street, sticking as much to the shadows as possible, as she still didn’t have anything to cover her costume. After making her way down the street, Gwen eventually spotted a church that appeared to have a clothing donation bin. It’s funny how such a simple sight was able to make her feel a bit more hopeful.

She rooted around the bin for a bit before finding a suitable pair of jeans, a slightly baggy red shirt, a pair of very worn work boots, which were nearly a size too big, and a long gray coat that was obviously not her size. Though the clothes were not ideal, they would have to do. It’s not like she had any other options at this point in time. With her new wardrobe on, the girl began her journey once more. The sun had fully set at this point, leaving Gwen to walk to the Parker residence in the dark. She wasn’t too worried, as she was able to care for herself, but she did make sure to keep herself alert at all times. Even as a spider person, the thought of someone trying to attack her didn’t sit well with her.

The walk was taking a lot longer than Gwen had hoped it would. If only she had her bag, then maybe she would be able to take a bus. She would have clothes that fit as well, but of course things couldn’t go her way. She had finally made it to the neighborhood that the Parker’s had lived in in the other dimensions. Just a little bit longer and she would be at the house. By this time, her feet were screaming at her. She may have accelerated healing, but even then it didn’t stop the shoes from making her feet ache.

The relief she felt when her feet landed on the front steps was indescribable. One step closer to getting home. The excitement was building in the young spider. Silently, she rang the doorbell, then stepped back, giving room for the door to open. Gwen didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, revealing an elder man, sporting thick square glasses. She was shocked.

“Oh, um, hi. Sorry to interrupt your evening, but I’m looking for the Parker residence,” Gwen began, hoping the man could be of some help.

He didn’t respond right away, instead choosing to size up the girl standing on his doorstep, his gaze harsh. The silence caused Gwen to become anxious. After a bit, the man spoke, his voice gravelly.

“The Parker's haven’t lived here in years. Moved out after the accident,” The man supplied.

“Oh. I’m sorry to bother you then. Would you happen to know where they moved to?”

The man’s gaze softened slightly. He glanced behind him for a second, then looked at the girl once more.

“I don’t know exactly where they moved to, but I vaguely remember the woman mentioning finding an apartment.”

Gwen took a deep breath. Okay, she could work with this.

“Alright, thank you very much sir. Once again, I’m sorry for interrupting your night,” she gave with a smile.

“That’s alright, miss. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

With that, the door was closed. Gwen sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She thought about what the man had told her. They had moved because of an accident. Could that have been the accident involving Peter’s uncle? Did that mean that this dimension’s Peter was younger than the others? The man did say that it happened years ago, so she couldn’t be sure. With one last sigh, the girl began walking towards the city. She needed to get to the library where she could begin to research.

The walk was long. Part way through, Gwen debated taking her shoes off but decided against it since this was New York. She kept trudging down the sidewalk, earning glances from those who were still out this late at night. After what felt like hours, the girl finally arrived at her destination. The steps seemed to stretch forever as she made her way to the entrance of the library. Once she was at the door, she pulled the handle, only to find that it was locked.

She tried again, hoping that she was only imagining what had happened. The door still didn’t budge. Gwen glanced around her, looking to see if anyone was watching her. Once she confirmed that she was alone she stepped back, then jumped, attaching herself to the wall. She climbed silently to the roof. She needed to get this information as quickly as possible and she wasn’t just going to let a locked door stand in her way.

On the roof sat a large vent. Gwen walked up to the vent and took the metal grate off, placing it just below the entrance she had created. Before jumping into the metal tube, she shed the clothes she had found, leaving her in her suit. She glanced down at the dark tunnel before climbing face first into the vent. She moved quickly and quietly, not wanting to be heard if there happened to be anyone still in the building. Her spider sense helped lead her to another vent grate. She checked the hall before removing the grate and maneuvering onto the ceiling.

The whole place gave an eerie vibe. The lights were dimmed for the night, the only real lighting coming from the moonlight shining in through the windows. There were shelves of books lining the walls and expanding out in rows through much of the building. In the center of the building sat rows of desks containing the oldest looking computers Gwen had ever seen. The girl crawled along the ceiling as long as possible, then jumped silently onto one of the desks. She didn’t dare risk stepping on the ground, for fear of tripping a silent alarm. Gwen sat on the desk, turning the computer to face her. She turned the electronic on and maneuvered the keyboard and mouse over.

The soft glow of the computer lit up the center area more than Gwen would have liked. Her eyes were locked on the screen as she began typing into the search bar. She started out by searching the name ‘Parker’. Gwen thought this would help give her something to go off of, whether it be of where to look next or give her insight about the ‘accident’ the old man had mentioned. The results that came up were not as specific as the girl would have liked, so she went back and changed the search from ‘Parker’ to ‘Benjamin Parker’ in hopes of bringing up an article about an accident the girl knew all too well. This gave better results. The first article she found told of a Ben Parker’s murder. The picture below the headline showed two familiar faces, both twisted in pain from the loss of a loved one. Peter and May were holding each other close, the boy no older than 16. It hurt her a bit to see them both in so much pain.

After finding the article, she went back to the search engine and began searching for the Parker residence. It took a bit of time, but she eventually was able to come up with an address that appeared to belong to that of an apartment building. She memorized the name and numbers before moving to close the browser window. She stopped before hitting the red x, instead moving the mouse back over to the search bar and typing in her own name instead. What she saw made her nauseous. The results were all of articles describing a death, her death. They told how this dimension’s Gwen had been kidnapped and beaten, before being thrown off the top of a skyscraper. She refused to look at the pictures that accompanied the pieces. Gwen took a deep breath, then cleared the search history. She didn’t want to leave any trace of her visit. She had just moved the computer and its accessories back into place when her spider sense went off. Someone was coming.

The girl returned to the ceiling and made her way back to the vent. Once she was safely on the roof of the building, she changed back into the clothes she abandoned before making her way back to the ground. With the Parker’s address, Gwen began her journey to the apartment. She moved as fast as possible, wanting more than anything to finally have somewhere to stay, and hopefully have someone to help her get back home.

She was getting closer to the apartment when a newspaper stand caught her attention. Normally she would walk past the place without a second thought, but the headline stood out and caused her to take a second glance. She slowed her movements until she was stopped in front of the stand. With a slightly shaking hand, she took a newspaper and began to read.

 

**REAL LIFE SPIDER-MAN?**

 

**Just hours ago, something strange took place just a few blocks from the Empire State Building. People were enjoying their average New York night, when they spotted something flying through the air. At first, they believed it to be some large bird, but after taking another look, they realized that it was no bird. So what was it? Those who saw the object first hand described it as ‘human-like’, but how could a human be traveling in such a way? Police were quickly called into action, but soon realized they would need something else in order to get into contact with the thing. Their solution; a helicopter. Once the helicopter was in play, the creature seemed to realize that something wasn’t quite right, as it appeared to run from police. The creature was unfortunately able to get away. After the chase, we contacted police and asked them what the creature was. They were just as confused as onlookers. They described the creature as having a human-like shape, moving using some sort of string which it shot out of its wrist. It was this comment that brought up the comparison between a certain web slinging hero and the thing that flew over the New York skyline tonight. This now makes us wonder, is this just someone trying to become the fictional hero Spider-Man, or is something darker happening underneath the streets of New York?**

 

Gwen couldn’t believe what she had just read. She knew there would probably be news about her arrival, but the part that had her shaken to her core was the ending. The fictional hero. Her mind and heart were racing. This couldn’t be real. She set the paper down and took a deep breath. It would be okay, she thought. She just needed to get to the Parker residence. Peter would know what to do, right? He was still smart, even if he wasn’t Spider-Man.

Spider-Man.

Gwen couldn’t shake the horrible feeling she got after reading that article. Never would she have ever imagined she would end up in a world like this. It made sense though. There infinite universes, and it just so happened that Gwen fell into a world where Spider-Man didn’t exist.


	2. Meet the Parker's

Gwen continued her journey to the apartment, her body on autopilot. She didn’t know what to think. This world was unlike any she had ever experienced. Granted, she had only been to a few, yet somehow this world seemed the most alien to her. The thought of there being no Spider-Man in this universe began to make her wonder what else was different. Sure, there would be minor differences, like brand names, from universe to universe, but Gwen wondered if this would mean other major things were different in this universe.

She didn’t have time to mull over the differences in this universe. She needed to focus on getting home, because who knew how long the goober would be able to keep her atoms together.

Gwen had been walking for a bit when she noticed the sun was beginning to rise. The orange light splashed across the blonde’s face, illuminating the circles under the girl’s eyes. She had been up for so long. She couldn’t stop now, not when she was so close to finding help, so she kept walking. The apartments should be coming up soon. She picked up her pace, knowing she’d be somewhere relatively safe soon.

When the apartment complex came into view, Gwen couldn’t help but feel relieved. The building was tall and dark, giving it a very cold look. Somehow, it was still dwarfed by the buildings on either side. She was a bit surprised to say the least. In all honesty, she had been expecting a small, run-down building. This was a welcome surprise. Once she was outside the building, she waited. She just needed someone to leave so that she could sneak in. Her patience was rewarded when a man walked out, briefcase in one hand and a bagel in the other. He didn’t seem to notice the blonde as she slipped through the doorway.

Gwen didn’t waste any time locating the mailboxes to ensure she had the right address. Sure enough, there was a mailbox labeled ‘Parker’. She made her way into an elevator and began her journey up.

She had just made it to the door of the apartment when she remembered that she wasn’t alive in this universe. Gwen’s stomach dropped. How would they react? Here she was, the friend that was supposed to be dead, standing outside their door seemingly fine. She didn’t get time to reconsider her decision as the door to the apartment opened suddenly.

Gwen jerked back, as did the boy who had opened the door. Both stood staring at the other. The boy moved first. His steps were slow and wobbly, like a newborn deer. With a disbelieving voice, he whispered.

“Gwen?”

The girl in question couldn’t speak. She just stared at the boy standing across from her. The look in his eyes made her heart hurt. This boy had lost so much, and his eyes showed that.

“Peter,” she began. “This is going to sound crazy, but I need you to listen.”

The boy swallowed and nodded slowly.

“Pete, I’m from another dimension, and I need your help to get home.”

Peter’s face twisted.

“What is wrong with you?” he responded in anger. “You come here looking like _her_ and tell me that you’re from another dimension. Do you think this is funny, huh? Well, it isn’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

He tried to push past her, but Gwen wasn’t just about to let him leave. She grabbed his arm and spun him around, forcing him to walk back towards his door.

“Peter, please just hear me out,” she pleaded.

The boy turned around and glared at the blonde. He crossed his arms in an attempt to look more threatening. Gwen glanced down the hallway before jumping up and sticking to the ceiling. This startled the brunet. He had been expecting a small shouting match, so seeing Gwen stick to the ceiling had been a genuine surprise.

“Wha-how did you…?”

“Like I said, I’m not from this dimension, and I need your help.”

Peter contemplated for a bit before sighing. He motioned for her to come in, causing the girl to smile. She dropped to the ground and made her way into the apartment.

The inside of the apartment was nothing like the exterior of the building. Inside was bright and homely. The first room upon entering the apartment was the living room. A small, well used, gray couch sat facing a small TV set. Peter gestured at the couch, and Gwen sat down. He sat down as well, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Gwen watched, waiting for the questions she knew he would have. Once again, Peter opened his mouth to speak.

“So, you’re from another dimension?”

She nodded.

“How did you end up in this dimension?”

“I was trying to hop to one of my friend’s dimensions when something hit me and sent me here. This device on my wrist is what I use to jump dimensions, but the communication and dimensional translocating systems broke when I entered your dimension.”

Peter nodded, glancing at Gwen’s goober.

“So, you want my help to fix your dimension hopping watch?”

“Yes.”

The boy rubbed his hands over his face before slouching forward, hands still on his face. Peter didn’t know what to think about any of this. His dead friend was alive, except it wasn’t his friend, it was someone from another dimension, who somehow is able to travel to other dimensions using some watch, and is stuck in his dimension and currently sitting on his couch. Before today, he wasn’t even sure if the multiverse theory existed, but this girl proved that the theory wasn’t just a theory, but a reality. He gave a small groan before speaking again.

“Alright, let’s get started then.”

Gwen grinned, happy to finally have someone to help her. She may be smart, but electronics were never her favorite thing to toy around with. Before she could offer her wrist for the boy to see the goober, her stomach growled loudly. Gwen blushed. She hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Peter gave a small laugh before standing.

“How about something to eat first?”

Gwen nodded and stood from the couch, following Peter into the kitchen. Just like the living room, it was well lived in. The table was wooden and round, the wood itself was worn and off colored, but somehow still managed to look good. A small fruit bowl sat on top of the table. To the left of the doorway was a countertop, littered with various papers and food items. Gwen stood by the counter as Peter made his way to the fridge. He grabbed a carton of eggs and made his way over to the stove. He looked at the girl before speaking.

“You can sit down at the table, ya’know. You don’t have to stand there and watch me make the eggs.”

At his words, Gwen moved to sit down. She was so grateful that Peter was doing this for her. She didn’t know what she would do if the boy refused to help her. After a few minutes, a plate was set down in front of her. Peter had prepared two eggs along with some toast. Gwen’s mouth watered. Once she started eating, Peter sat down next to her.

He said nothing as she ate. She looked so similar to his Gwen that it hurt. He knew she wasn’t his Gwen, but he couldn’t help relating this Gwen to the one he lost. He missed her so much. Peter didn’t realize he was crying until the girl looked at him with concern written all over her face.

“Peter? Are you okay?”

“I-er, yeah,” he replied, wiping his face. “I’m sorry, you just-you look just like her.”

Gwen looked at the boy sitting next to her. She knew what it was like to lose a friend, so she was able to see where his pain was coming from. When she had first encountered the other Peters, it was hard. They all looked like him, talked like him, thought like him, and moved like him. Everything they did reminded her of the person she had lost, and she struggled.

Slowly, she reached out and took his hand in hers. It was a simple gesture, but a much needed one. It comforted the boy. They sat there in silence for some time. Eventually, Peter broke the silence. He breathed heavily before speaking.

“How about we start looking into getting your, uh, dimension watch, fixed.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Gwen extended her arm towards the boy, resulting in him giving her a confused look.

“Uh, I’m going to need you to take it off. It’ll be a lot easier to fix if you aren’t wearing it.”

Gwen froze. She hadn’t even thought about that.

“Oh, well, you see, I can’t really take it off.”

“What do you mean?”

“The watch acts as a stabilizer. Without it, my atoms try to rip apart.”

This earned a flinch from Peter.

“Well, this complicates things a bit then.”

“I mean, I can take it off for a bit, but I can’t keep it off. Peni, the person who created the watches, says that we’d probably be able to last up to a week without the watch.”

The boy nodded slowly, taking the new information in and trying to come up with a solution to their problem.

“If that’s the case, then we can just work in blocks. I’ll work on the...thing for, say, two hours, then I’ll stop so that you can stabilize your atoms. That way I can work on the goober while you don’t rip apart at the seams.”

“That works for me.”

With that worked out, Gwen removed the goober from her wrist and handed it over to the brunet. As soon as the goober left her hand, she glitched. She fell out of her seat and hit the floor hard, her body dematerializing and materializing quickly and sporadically. She had forgotten how much it had hurt for her body to try and rip itself apart. The glitching made Peter jump up from his seat. He had never seen something so bizarre in his life.

“What was that?” He asked once Gwen was no longer splintering.

“That is what happens when I don’t have the dimensional stabilizer holding my atoms together. We call it glitching. It’s a zero out of ten, would not like it to happen again.”

Gwen was hoping her stupid joke would lighten the mood, but her efforts fell short. Peter looked at the watch again before helping Gwen off the ground.

“If that’s the case, then I guess I better work quickly on this thing.”

Peter set the watch carefully on the table before leaving to retrieve some tools. Gwen took a seat at the table again, her body vibrating slightly from the glitches. She played with the hem of the oversized coat, anxious about not having the goober on. She knew Peter was good with electronics, but she couldn’t help but worry. The goober was the only thing she had that would allow her to get home.

When Peter returned, he started working on the goober, not really speaking all that much. After some time, Gwen began to get bored. Normally, she would have watched Peter work, but she didn't have a good view from her seat. She stood and stretched before exploring the kitchen a bit. Once she had finished looking at the kitchen, she began to pace, not knowing what else to do. She moved back and forth across the floor. When she eventually bored of pacing, she began to climb the walls, making her way to the ceiling where she began to pace once more. After a bit, Gwen noticed that Peter had stopped working on the goober and was instead focused on her. Peter blushed a bit when he realized he had been caught looking.

“Sorry, I just-”

“It’s alright. Must be pretty weird to see someone climb the walls like a spider.”

“Yeah, it kinda is. How are you able to do that?”

Gwen smirked.

“In my universe, I’m Spider-Woman.”

The look on Peter’s face was priceless.

“Wait, you’re telling me that there are universes when superheroes are _real?_ ”

“Yup. All the universes I’ve been to have had a spider person. Well, all except for this one.”

“Man, why’d I have to get stuck living in such a janky universe.”

This caused the girl to laugh.

“You Parker’s are all the same.”

Peter gave a small laugh while his face twisted in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve met multiple Peter Parker’s, and you guys are all very similar. Don’t take that in a bad way.”

“There are other versions of me? I mean, I guess it makes sense since you’re an alternate version of my Gwen.”

“Yeah, it’s still a bit weird to think about, though.”

“Yeah.”

Their conversation died there. Peter slowly went back to working on the goober while Gwen sat on the ceiling, watching from above. The brunet was moving slowly, trying his best to figure out which wires connected to which system. It was difficult, considering he had no idea what the thing looked like before it broke. He also didn’t want to break the part that helped to stabilize Gwen. He knew she wasn’t his Gwen, but he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her.

After some time, Peter sighed before closing the watch up again. He wasn’t able to get much done in the time he had worked. Gwen noticed that Peter was no longer working on the goober and jumped down from her spot on the ceiling. The goober was handed back and the two stood there for a bit before decided to move back into the living room.

They sat and talked for some time, comparing their universes. Gwen couldn’t believe her ears when Peter told her that he didn’t know what an kiwi was. At first she thought he was kidding, but she eventually found that he was totally serious. Peter seemed the most weirded out by the sodas that Gwen had in her universe. To her, Pebis and Sprunt were completely normal. Peter was adamant about those being fake. He nearly had a heart attack after finding out that Gwen had never heard of cheesecake.

“How? Literally how do you not have _cheesecake_ in your universe?”

“I don’t know! How do you not have kiwi?”

“I don’t know!”

They were both laughing by the end of their short argument.

“Okay, but in all seriousness, we need to get a cheesecake and have you try it. It is one of the best desserts of all time.”

“I’ll try it, as long as you promise to try a kiwi once I’m able to get one.”

“Deal.”

They both sat in silence for a bit before Peter spoke up again.

“Gwen, what’s it like to be a superhero?”

The question caught the girl off guard. She had expected another question about the brands she had in her universe.

“Well, it’s nice, I guess. It’s a bit hard at times, and a lot of the times it’s overwhelming, but the fact that I’m able to do so much and able to help so many people make up for it. There are many people in my universe who wouldn’t be alive if I didn’t help. They wouldn’t be able to go home and see their families, but somehow, just a simple pull of a string and suddenly they get to go home. It’s stuff like this that makes it worth it.”

She could go on and on about what it was like to be a hero, but she chose to stop. Peter smiled at her answer, and she couldn’t help but smile back. She knew she wasn’t entirely telling the truth behind being a superhero, but that didn’t matter. Sometimes, the dark parts of the job were a lot, and she didn’t want Peter to worry about that kind of thing. Before Peter could say anything, Gwen spoke up again.

“Maybe we should try and work on the goober some more now. I don’t want you to think that I didn’t enjoy talking to you, it’s just that I’m a bit worried about getting home.”

“That sounds good to me.”

The two once again moved to the kitchen, Peter taking his spot at the table while Gwen made her way onto the ceiling. It was strange how natural it felt for them to take these positions. Gwen watched as Peter began to take the goober apart again and tinker with the components within the small device. That thing was far beyond her knowledge of electronics, and she had no clue how Peter was able to even remotely understand what was going on in the thing. They weren’t in the kitchen long when Gwen’s spider sense began to go off.

The girl jumped down suddenly, spinning around the room trying to locate the thing that was making her sense go haywire. Peter was watching her in confusion.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I have this thing called a spider sense that alerts me to danger and something is making it go off.”

Peter continued to watch, his mind trying to comprehend what he had been told. Suddenly, a sound came from the hallway, causing both Peter and Gwen to direct their attention towards the front door. Neither moved as the doorknob slowly turned. The door swung open, revealing a woman holding a bag of groceries, however the bag soon dropped to the floor once the woman saw Gwen standing in the kitchen.

“I-Gwen?” Her voice was soft and filled with confusion.

“Hi, May.”


	3. The Missing Spider

Gwen had told Miles she was on her way around seven. It was now 9:30, and there was still no sign of her. He had tried to contact her, but she wasn’t responding to his messages. This worried Miles a lot. Gwen was never one to ignore messages, so the fact that she had yet to respond made Miles uneasy.

Once 10:00 rolled around, the young spider decided it was time to let the others know something was wrong. Miles selected the group chat and began messaging the others.

 

**_TheRemix has signed into Spider-Gang_ **

 

**TheRemix: has anyone heard from gwen recently?**

 

**RoboCop: Nope, haven’t heard from her.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: same here**

 

**HamN’Cheese: whyre you askin**

 

**TheRemix: she said she was coming over but she never showed**

 

**TheOriginal: Maybe she finally came to her senses and is steering clear of you?**

 

**TheRemix: haha, so very funny**

 

**TheRemix: (that was sarcasm, in case your old brain didnt catch that)**

 

**TheOriginal: Wow**

 

**TheOriginal: That hurts**

 

**OldMan: I haven’t spoken to her recently, no.**

 

**TheRemix: man**

 

**TheRemix: this sucks**

 

**HamN’Cheese: dont worry kid, im sure shes fine**

 

**TheRemix: i know**

 

**TheRemix: but i cant help but worry something bad happened**

 

**RoboCop: Have you tried hopping into her dimension and seeing what’s going on?**

 

**RoboCop: She might have just gotten caught up in something before she had the chance to make it to your dimension.**

 

**TheRemix: i didnt…**

 

**TheRemix: im going to go do that now**

 

**TheOriginal: Be careful Miles**

 

**TheRemix: okay daaaad**

 

**_TheRemix has signed out of Spider-Gang_ **

 

Miles closed the chat window and opened up the application that would allow him to make the jump to Gwen’s dimension. He was glad that Peni was able to make such a nice program for all of them to use. The goober had all of their universes pre-programed in, which made it a lot easier on Miles.

He made the jump, falling through space and time. He loved jumping. The feeling of weightlessness, while still also having this pull. It was amazing. Not only did he enjoy the feeling, he loved watching the multiverse as he made his way from one dimension to another. The intricate webbing and vibrant colors of each universe were beautiful. Miles had tried in the past to put the beauty of the multiverse in some artwork, but his art never captured just how amazing the multiverse actually was. Unfortunately, just as quick as he had made the jump, it was over.

The goober spit him out in an alleyway between what appeared to be two apartment buildings. Miles looked around him before making his way out of the alley. He noticed that he had landed outside of Gwen’s apartment building, which he thought was a bit weird. Every other time he had come here he had always ended up inside. He shook it off as the goober not being calibrated correctly. Deciding it would be best if he checked out her apartment first, Miles made himself invisible before climbing the walls. Once he was at Gwen’s apartment he snuck inside. He looked around, noting that Gwen wasn’t in her bedroom. He then made his way through the rest of the house, careful not to make any noise as to not alert Gwen’s parents. After searching the home and not finding Gwen, Miles chose to search the city next. He scaled down to the ground. Miles glanced up at the building once more before making his way towards Times Square.

It was a bit strange walking downtown so late at night. Normally, he’d be swinging way up in the air, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He hadn’t made it to the square when he passed an electronics store that had TVs set up in the windows. The televisions were playing the news, which quickly caught the young spider’s attention.

 

**BREAKING NEWS**

**Good evening everyone. Breaking news tonight of several robberies which police believe to all be related. The break-ins have been occurring all across the city, and have been happening every hour. The robberies appear to be quick and expertly executed, as by the time police arrive, the robbers are long gone. Not only that, the robbers appear to be playing a game with police, leaving things behind to try and puzzle officers. Stranger still, there have reportedly been no sightings of Spider-Woman. The web slinging vigilante has yet to be seen tonight. When we asked the police what they thought of Spider-Woman not helping with their case, they responded saying that quote “it is great that the vigilante isn’t trying to interfere.” This-**

 

Miles didn’t stay around to hear the rest. Why wouldn’t Gwen try and stop the robberies? Did she get hurt during the first one and hasn’t been able to stop the other ones? If she got hurt why didn’t she tell him? Maybe the robbers kidnapped her, making her unable to respond. He really hoped that wasn’t the case. He thought for a second before ducking into another alleyway and making a jump to go retrieve his spider costume. Once he was changed into his costume, he made his way towards the latest robbery, making sure to stay hidden. He didn’t need the police hunting him down.

The tourist shop wasn’t the most impressive of places. Miles was a little surprised the robbers had picked this place at all. It looked very run down. The floors didn’t look like they’ve ever been cleaned and the walls were cracked and peeling. Miles thought the whole place looked as old as Peter B., which made him laugh a bit. He watched police look around a bit from the building across the street before making his way over to investigate.

He landed softly on the side of the building before making his way down. Miles was very thankful that he was able to do all of this while also being invisible. It made his stealth mission a lot easier. Once inside the building, he made a note of the odd object left on one of the checkout counters. It appeared to be a figurine. The thing didn’t match any of the other objects in the store, so Miles knew that it had to have been left by the robbers. He got closer to it, wanting to see if there was some other clue on it, but he didn’t have a chance. His spider sense went off, alerting him of another robbery taking place a few streets over.

Just as quickly as he made his way into the building, he left. Miles swung himself quickly, his spider sense leading him closer and closer to the place being robbed. The building in question was another tourist shop, this one just as old looking as the last, but definitely cleaner. The young spider landed silently on the ground in front of the shop. The shop front looked normal, so Miles decided to check out the rest of the outside of the building. He wanted to find where the robbers had entered the building.

The sides and back of the building were clear, leaving only the roof. Miles worked his way to the roof with no problems. He took note of the duffle bag laying near one of the vents. After further investigation, Miles found the bag was for the tools the robbers used to break into the place. Now, it was show time. Without a second thought, the boy made his way into the vent and down into the building.

It was easier to find the robbers than Miles thought. They weren’t exactly super quiet, so all he had to do was follow their loud conversation. Miles found it strange that they would speak so loudly and openly while they were trying to steal. In his experience, robbers would only speak when they needed to.

Once he was above the robbers, he slid into the room through the vent they had left open. Before the robbers could even do anything, they had been webbed to the walls.

“What the-” One of the robbers began before getting their mouth webbed.

“Nope, you don’t get to speak,” Miles responded, finally making himself visible. “Other robber dude, you’re going to tell me what you did with Spider-Woman.”

“I didn’t do nothin’ with her,” the robber said, his voice twisted with confusion and anger.

“Really? Then where is she?” Miles asked, he himself becoming angry.

“I don’t know, man. Why do you care?”

“It’s none of your business,” Miles replied, a tad bit embarrassed. “So you’re telling me you guys didn’t kidnap her?”

“Nah, man. Why would we kidnap her?”

Miles didn’t respond. He simply webbed the robber’s mouth shut, then proceeded to trip the alarm. After doing so, he made his way back out of the building. So Gwen wasn’t involved at all with the robberies, which made Miles a bit more worried. Miles wondered what was causing her to not respond if it wasn’t the robberies. Before doing anything else, he pulled up the chat again to let the others know what he found out.

 

**_TheRemix has signed into Spider-Gang_ **

 

**TheRemix: hey guys, havent found gwen yet**

 

**TheRemix: i did stop a robbery string tho**

 

**RoboCop: Ooh, sounds interesting.**

 

**TheRemix: it kinda was, but gwen apparently hasnt been around at all**

 

**HamN’Cheese: that doesnt sound good**

 

**TheRemix: no, and the robbers didnt know anything**

 

**TheOriginal: Is she busy with other things?**

 

**TheRemix: there hasnt been anything on the news**

 

**TheRemix: and also my spider sense hasnt led me to her**

 

**RoboCop: I can try and locate her using her goober’s sensors.**

 

**TheRemix: that would be amazing**

 

**TheRemix: thank you peni**

 

**TheOriginal: I’m sure everything is fine Miles**

 

**TheOriginal: Don’t go worrying too much about things**

 

**RoboCop: Uhh, I keep getting an error.**

 

**TheRemix: what**

 

**HamN’Cheese: that cant be good**

 

**TheOriginal: Are you sure?**

 

**RoboCop: Absolutely.**

 

**RoboCop: Something is going on with her goober and causing it to spit out an error.**

 

**OldMan: Does this mean something happened to her?**

 

**RoboCop: I’m not sure.**

 

**TheOriginal: Are you able to see any readings from her goober at all?**

 

**RoboCop: Yes.**

 

**RoboCop: It says she made a jump at 7:05PM.**

 

**TheRemix: thats around when she said she was on her way**

 

**OldMan: So she never made it to your dimension?**

 

**TheRemix: no**

 

**TheRemix: she also hasnt been answering me at all**

 

**HamN’Cheese: sounds like something happened during the jump**

 

**TheOriginal: How could something have happened during a jump?**

 

**RoboCop: I don’t know.**

 

**RoboCop: I’m going to continue looking through readings to try and figure out what happened.**

 

**TheOriginal: Sounds good Peni**

 

**OldMan: Let us know if you find out anything doll.**

 

**TheRemix: yeah**

 

**RoboCop: Will do. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.**

 

**_TheRemix has signed out of Spider-Gang_ **

 

Miles sat for a bit. He hated the idea of something happening to Gwen during a jump. She could be anywhere in the entire multiverse. It didn’t help that she wasn’t responding to their messages, nor did it help that Peni wasn’t able to locate her. None of this was sitting well with the young spider. His time on the roof was cut short, however, as a spotlight shone down on him.

“Freeze! NYPD! Put your hands up!”

Miles froze. The thing he didn’t want to happen happened. He took a slow breath before quickly becoming invisible and running. Behind him, he could hear the sound of gunfire hitting the roof where he had previously been sitting. Once he made it to the edge of the building, he flung his arm out and began swinging away from the crime scene. The last thing he needed was to get caught by the police. He knew that Gwen didn’t have the best relationship with the police in her dimension and he didn’t want to make things worse by getting involved with them. Then again he did just run from them, which probably didn’t look that great from an outside perspective, but he couldn’t change that now.

Once he was hidden he made the jump back home. Miles landed softly in his room, careful not to make a sound. Tonight seemed to be a stealth night. He changed out of his costume, then checked his goober to see if Peni had found out anything else.

 

**_TheRemix has signed into Spider-Gang_ **

 

**RoboCop: Okay, so I’ve been looking around and instead of trying to track Gwen’s goober, I looked to see which universe she was in.**

 

**TheOriginal: Okay, so where is she?**

 

**RoboCop: She’s not in any of our universes.**

 

**TheRemix: what do you mean shes not in any of our universes????**

 

**RoboCop: I couldn’t find her signature at all in any of our universes.**

 

**RoboCop: It’s almost like she disappeared.**

 

**OldMan: Is there any way to find her?**

 

**RoboCop: Yes, but I would have to search for her signature in each universe one by one.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: so what youre saying is that it would take a long time**

 

**RoboCop: Yes.**

 

**TheRemix: is there anything that we would be able to do to help**

 

**RoboCop: I’m not sure. You guys don’t really have the technology that’s needed.**

 

**TheOriginal: Is there any way you would be able to quickly create something that would allow us to search as well?**

 

**RoboCop: Possibly???? In any case, it would still take time for us to be able to figure out where she is.**

 

**TheRemix: i hate this**

 

**TheOriginal: I know it sucks bud, but we have to look on the bright side**

 

**TheOriginal: Gwen’s a tough girl, I’m sure she’s handling herself just fine**

 

**HamN’Cheese: yeah, miles. look on the bright side**

 

**TheRemix: whats the bright side**

 

**HamN’Cheese: gwens a smart girl**

 

**HamN’Cheese: i bet you right now, shes found that universes spider-man and is working on making her way home**

 

**TheRemix: i guess youre right**

 

**TheRemix: i have to go now its getting really late**

 

**RoboCop: Alright, bye Miles!**

 

**HamN’Cheese: smell ya later kid**

 

**OldMan: Take care Miles.**

 

**TheOriginal: Bye Miles, don’t worry too much bud**

 

**_TheRemix has signed out of Spider-Gang_ **

 

Miles slid the goober off his wrist before making his way into his bed. He placed the device on his nightstand and pulled his blanket over himself. He tried his best to get some rest and stop thinking about what Peni had said but his brain refused to let him sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about all the things that could have happened to Gwen. He knew she was strong, but there are things out there that are just as strong, and even stronger. He pressed his pillow over his face and let out an annoyed groan. All he wanted to do was sleep, but his brain was on overdrive, thinking of all the ways Gwen could be in trouble.

Miles tried to distract himself by thinking of other things, like what he wanted to draw next, or what homework he still had to complete, but his mind kept coming back to Gwen. None of the situations were great. He kept thinking of other universe villains torturing the girl. He knew it was unlikely that that was the case. Finally, after a couple hours, the boy felt his eyelids grow heavy. Soon, Miles was asleep. Unfortunately, his mind refused to stop torturing him. His sleep was full of scenarios where Gwen was in trouble and struggling, trying her hardest to get in contact with someone, only to find she was alone. This caused the boy to wake up in a panic. After he calmed down, Miles spent the rest of the night awake and staring at the ceiling.

* * *

Pink and orange light from the sunset spilled through the windows. At a desk a scientist was busy staring at the screen of a computer monitor. Nothing caught the scientists eye, all the data boring and repetitive. After some time staring at the monitor, the man began to slouch down, his left elbow on the desk with his hand supporting his head. Suddenly there was a giant spike in the levels, causing the man to sit up straight. This shouldn’t have happened. The device gave a quick diagnostic reading, letting the scientist know that it had collided with something. The man stopped and reread the report.

The device had hit something.

He printed the data and results as quickly as possible and made his way into another office. The office was cluttered with various tables and experiments. A large desk was positioned further into the room, and sitting at the desk was another scientist. The man at the desk stopped typing when the first entered the room.

“Mr. Jacobson, may I help you?” The man behind the desk asked.

“Sir, something is happening with the probe,” the first man began, piquing the interest of the other. “The device at first was giving no real interesting data, which was awful to watch. Honestly, I felt like I was going to fall aslee-”

“Get to the point Jacobson.”

“Right, sorry. The probe had a strange reading spike, then it gave a diagnostic which said it had had a collision.”

As he was saying this, Jacobson brought the printed data towards the other. The man grabbed it eagerly, wanting to see for himself. He read over it quickly, his face unreadable by Jacobson. Once he had finished reading through the data, he rubbed at his face.

“Jacobson,” he began, his voice low and threatening. “Bring the probe back.”

This startled Jacobson.

“B-but sir! It took us three years to get the probe to where it is. If we bring it back now, it will all have been a waste.”

Jacobson had just finished his spiel when a metal arm landed on the man’s neck. Slowly, the man behind the desk rose, then continued to rise due to two other metal arms lifting him off the ground.

“When I tell you to do something, you do it without question,” he spat at the man. “Is that clear Mr. Jacobson?”

Jacobson nodded, unable to make a sound with the metal arm around his throat. After seeing the nod the man was dropped to the ground.

“Good. Now, bring the probe back.”

“Yes, Dr. Octavius.”

Jacobson stood from the ground and made his way out of the office. Octavius watched as the other scientist left, then sat back down, continuing the work he had been doing before he had been interrupted. His mind, however, was focused on the probe. It had hit something, so that means something else, or rather, someone else had found a way to explore the multiverse, and Octavius was determined to figure out who had done so, no matter the cost.


	4. The Spider and The Mall

Gwen was almost positive May was going to have a heart attack. The poor woman had only murmured her name before standing still in the doorway. There were groceries all over the floor, though no one moved to pick them up. It was almost as if they were all frozen in time. During this strange standoff, Gwen took a better look at this universe’s Aunt May.

The woman wasn’t too different from the May in Miles’ universe, though she appeared much younger than that May. This May’s face had less wrinkles. She stood at roughly the same height, maybe an inch taller, and wore similar clothes. Her hair was longer and still had pigment, though there was some gray poking through at the roots. Gwen briefly wondered if she dyed her hair, though she didn’t dwell on that for too long since May had finally decided to move.

She moved like she was trying to walk up to a wild animal, which Gwen could understand. Gwen chose not to move. She didn’t want to startle the woman more than she already had.

Once May was close enough, she reached out and simply held Gwen’s face in her hands. In Gwen’s opinion, it was a bit weird, but May found comfort in it, knowing that the person in front of her was real and not some hallucination. It wasn’t long before May began to tear up. When Gwen saw she immediately moved to hug the woman. Her arms wrapped around May, and May reciprocated, hugging Gwen back just as hard.

Peter watched from where he had been standing in the kitchen. He hadn’t taken the sight of Gwen the way that May had, so he didn’t know what to do, if he needed to do anything at all. The two were just standing there in an embrace, while Peter stood awkwardly to the side. He felt very out of his element. Finally after what felt like hours, the two separated. May looked at Gwen for a few seconds before finally speaking to the girl.

“I-How are you here?”

Gwen sighed, bowing her head slightly, afraid of the reaction she would get for telling the truth. She knew May deserved to know, but she didn’t want a repeat of what had happened with Peter. Although, May was already taking things better than Peter had, so maybe things would be better. She took a breath before explaining how she got here. Once her explanation was over, the other stood in silence, taking in everything that Gwen had told her. May considered things carefully before she pulled the girl in for another hug. Gwen was a bit confused by this.

“You-you aren’t mad at me?” she asked.

“Of course not. Yes, your explanation is a bit out there, but I’ve seen some crazy things in my time. Plus, even if you are from another dimension, you’re still Peter’s friend, and I could never stay mad at you.”

Gwen nearly broke into tears at the woman’s words. Aunt May, no matter the dimension, was always sweet and understanding. Gwen was lucky she had the opportunity to meet such an amazing woman in, not only one, but multiple dimensions.

“Thank you May.”

May smiled at Gwen before stepping back. She opened her mouth to speak, but cut herself off as she realized that the groceries she had just bought were now scattered across the floor. Gwen saw the realization cross the woman’s face and moved to help pick up the products which had made themselves at home on the livingroom floor. Once Gwen had started picking things up, Peter began to do so as well, reprimanding May when the woman tried to pick up the items as well. She huffed before admitting defeat and sitting down at the kitchen table.

The two teens worked quickly to get everything cleaned up and put away. Once the floors were grocery-free, they joined May at the table. The three sat in silence for a bit, not entirely sure what to say. Peter was about to speak when May beat him to it.

“Peter, don’t you have your internship stuff to do today?”

At the mention of the internship, Peter’s eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about that.

“Oh, oh no. No no no! I completely forgot about that,” he cried out, hands coming up to grip his hair.

“Well, don’t just sit here, go!” May told him.

At her words, Peter jumped up and made his way to the door. He opened the door and was about to run out, but stopped and turned towards Gwen.

“I am so sorry I can’t keep working on your goober. I promise I’ll fix it later.”

“It’s alright Peter,” Gwen responded. “I understand that you can’t just stop everything going on in your life to help me. Now go, you’re already late, don’t get yourself into even more trouble.”

Peter gave a small smile and nod, then made his exit. Gwen watched the door close, then turned her attention back to May. May had watched the teens interact and smiled through all of it. She knew how much Gwen meant to Peter, and though she wasn’t their Gwen, she was glad that this Gwen was here.

She was hoping that as Peter helped Gwen, Gwen would help Peter. The poor boy had taken things poorly when the news broke about his friend’s murder. He had blamed himself, even though it wasn’t his fault at all. It hurt her to see him like that.

Gwen smiled at the woman, and the two of them began to make small talk. Both knew that things were a bit strange, and neither wanted to talk about the serious issue on hand. May was still adjusting to seeing the face of a dead girl. It wasn’t long before May noticed what Gwen was wearing.

“Honey, what are you wearing?”

Gwen flushed and looked down, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Well, you see, when I landed in this dimension, I wasn’t exactly wearing clothes-”

“What?”

“I had something on! It just wasn’t normal clothes, it was a suit, which I am technically still wearing. When I first landed here, the police were kind of chasing me, so I needed-”

“The police were...why were the police chasing you?”

“Did you happen to see on the news something about a person swinging through the city like Spider-Man?”

At Gwen’s question, May seemed to realize where the girl was going.

“You don’t mean to tell me that the person swinging through the city was you?”

“Yeah, I probably should have been a bit more careful, but I can’t change that now,” Gwen replied sheepishly.

“Wait wait wait,” May began, shaking her head slightly in an attempt to straighten out her thoughts. “You mean to tell me you have powers?”

“Yes,” Gwen simply supplied.

May sat for a minute in thought. Finally, she shook her head.

“Okay,”

“Okay? You aren’t completely overwhelmed by this?”

“Well, it is a bit overwhelming, but I guess I can believe it. You are from another dimension after all.”

Gwen had to give it to May. The woman was taking this very a lot easier than she thought she would have and Gwen was thankful she was. May continued to speak once she realized Gwen wasn’t going to say anything.

“Now, back to your clothes. I’m assuming you picked them up from some donation bin,” Gwen nodded. “Well, no offense, but they look awful.”

Gwen laughed at that.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Alright, it’s settled then. We’re going to get you some better clothes.”

Gwen was startled by this. She hadn’t been expecting that. If anything, she was expecting May to say she could borrow some clothes from her. Gwen must have had a look on her face, as May chose to continue speaking.

“I don’t think anything I have would fit you right, and you deserve some nicer clothes if you’re going to be staying here for a bit.”

Gwen finally collected herself before speaking.

“I’m not going to be here for too long, hopefully. You really don’t have to buy me clothes.”

May waved her off.

“I want to. I don’t think I’d be alright knowing that you aren’t comfortable during your stay with us.”

When Gwen went to argue, May held up a hand to stop her.

“I won’t take no as an answer.”

With that, Gwen found herself being escorted out of the apartment. Soon, the two of them were on a bus headed towards one of the many nearby malls. Gwen didn’t even notice the looks the others on the bus were giving her. She had plenty of practice ignoring others. May, on the other hand, was growing more and more upset with the looks that the other bus patrons were giving the young girl. She held her tongue though since Gwen didn’t seem all that bothered by them. May didn’t quite understand how Gwen was able to ignore all of them, but she didn’t ask. Once they had reached their stop, the two exited the bus, then walked side by side down the sidewalk towards the mall.

The outside of the mall wasn’t the prettiest. Like many of the buildings in the city, it was gray and old, but still carried some strange charm to it. Gwen had been to this mall many times in her dimension and she hoped that it was similar to the one back home. May opened the door and held it for the girl. Gwen thanked May as she walked through the door. Once inside, Gwen noticed a lot of things that she was unfamiliar with.

Many of the stores that she was used to seeing were no longer there. In their spots were stores that Gwen had never heard of. She had stopped to take in all of the differences which gave May time to catch up to the girl. She saw the look on Gwen’s face and smiled before hooking her arm in Gwen’s and dragging her towards a store she thought would be good. Gwen stumbled slightly when May first pulled her, but soon she was walking the same pace.

They didn’t have any luck at the first store. All the clothes were ridiculously overpriced as well as horribly designed. The second store was just as bad as the first. Gwen cringed when she saw a crop top that was completely made out of a clear material. They didn’t spend long in that store. Their next stop resulted in some better options. Gwen found some pants that she liked, as well as a few graphic tees that she thought were nice. Her favorite out of the clothes was a t-shirt that simply said ‘Pepsi’ with a logo that was inverted from the one she knew. When she had first seen the shirt, she snorted, before breaking out into laughter. When May saw what caused Gwen to burst out laughing, her face twisted in confusion.

“What’s so funny about the Pepsi shirt?”

“S-sorry,” Gwen began, trying to stop her laughter enough to speak. “It’s just that in my universe it’s Pebis, not Pepsi. Seeing this on a shirt reminds me of those horribly translated souvenir shirts.”

May laughed at Gwen’s explanation.

“That is pretty funny.”

Once Gwen had picked out a sufficient amount of clothes, they made their way to the shoe section. Gwen was excited to finally get some shoes that fit, though she felt a bit bad about May paying for all these things. She knew that it wasn’t cheap to get this many clothes and shoes all in one trip, but she had to push this thought out of her mind. She knew May wouldn’t allow her to refuse this stuff, so there was no point in trying.

Once they were in the shoe department, Gwen began to browse the shoes, trying to find a nice looking pair that wasn’t too expensive. She came across some fairly cheap shoes that had a decent color scheme and began looking for her size. After some time searching, Gwen came to the conclusion that they didn’t have any in her size. She sighed and began looking for another brand.

It took a lot longer than she expected to find a suitable pair of shoes. Many of the ones that she found were either too expensive or a style she didn’t like. The shoes she did settle on were a light blue color with black accents. They were a little pricier than Gwen would have liked, but they were the only ones that the girl liked. Once the shoes had been deposited in the small cart May decided to grab, they snagged some undergarments before making their way to the checkout counter.

Gwen tried not to look at the damage she had done to May’s bank account. She knew it was going to be on the higher side, but she didn’t want to know exactly how much she had caused the woman to spend on her. After they were done with their purchase, the two made their way to one of the bathrooms in the main part of the mall so that Gwen could change into some of her new clothes. May waited outside while Gwen switched her attire.

The girl decided to wear the Pepsi shirt along with a pair of jeans and her new shoes. She threw her suit and other clothes into the shopping bag, making sure her suit was hidden under the other clothes in the bag. Once she had everything in order, she left the bathroom and made her way over to May, who was sitting on a bench in the center of the hall. May stood up once Gwen was next to her.

“How about some lunch?” May asked.

Gwen wanted to protest, but her body betrayed her, growling at the mere idea of food. This caused Gwen to flush a slight red.

“I suppose I could go for some food,” she spoke in slightly hesitant voice, which caused May to chuckle a bit.

Both began making their way to the food court, figuring it would be easier to get something to eat at the mall. Gwen glanced at all the options before settling on pizza. May was fine with Gwen’s choice and made sure to ask what the girl wanted on her pizza. They approached the shop and placed their order, May once again spending more money on Gwen. Gwen made a note to return the favor once she was able to get back home.

The two spent their lunch chatting and getting to know each other more. May was surprised to learn that Gwen played drums in a band. She knew that the Gwen from her universe was a percussion player, but she seldom played the drums. Gwen learned that this May worked as a receptionist, which was very different from the others. She was glad though since May seemed to be less stressed with her job.

They continued to talk even after running out of pizza. Eventually, they both decided that it was about time that they made it back to the apartment. Once again, they rode the bus, this time earning less looks from the others. May was very glad at this. It didn’t take long for them to get to their stop. After exiting the vehicle, the two walked the short distance from the stop to the apartment building, making jokes and laughing the whole way.

The elevator ride was a lot less stressful this time around. Finally, things seemed to be working out for Gwen. She had found kind people who were willing to help her. It was also nice that she didn’t have to worry about something else trying to stop her from getting home. Gwen was finally feeling less stressed about her situation, smiling the entirety of the elevator ride.

When the door to the elevators opened, the two stepped out into the hallway. They didn’t make it two steps before Gwen felt as though she had been smacked in the face. Her spider sense was going crazy, telling her something was very, very wrong. Her face immediately dropped as she reached out to stop May from walking towards the apartment. May was confused by Gwen’s sudden mood change.

“Is everything okay?” She asked the girl.

Gwen didn’t respond. Instead, she grabbed the bag from the mall and pulled her suit out quickly. She changed as fast as possible, depositing her new clothes in the bag. She shot May a look before pulling the mask over her face and making her way towards the door of the apartment. The closer she got to the door, the more her head screamed that there was danger. Gwen took a deep breath before webbing the keys out of May’s hands and unlocking the door.

Gwen pushed the door open slowly, scanning the apartment. Once the door was open enough, she slid into the abode, making as little noise as possible. The living room was clear, so she moved further into the apartment.

Behind her, May had moved to the entrance, watching as Gwen checked the rooms. She didn’t know what had caused Gwen to freak out, but whatever it was worried the woman. If Gwen had come from another dimension, who was to say that she was the only thing that came here. May tried to enter the apartment, but Gwen quickly turned on her heel and rushed towards the woman, somehow making little to no noise in the process. Before May could make a comment, Gwen whispered to her.

“You shouldn’t come in here. There is something in here that is dangerous and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“If there is something dangerous in there, then you shouldn’t go alone,” May responded, voice just as quiet as Gwen’s.

“I can’t let you get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”

“But May-”

“No buts, I’m coming in with you.”

Gwen didn’t move at first, trying to get May to back down, but when the woman refused, she relented, grumbling slightly. She refused to let May go first though. Together, with Gwen leading, they worked their way further into the apartment. Once they reached the kitchen, Gwen peaked through the doorway. She was very surprised to find Peter sitting at the kitchen table, staring at his phone. Without thinking, Gwen walked towards Peter.

“Peter, what are you doing here? I thought you were at your internship?” May asked, following Gwen into the room.

At her voice, Peter looked up from his phone. He looked guilty and refused to look at Gwen. This confused Gwen and made her worry a lot more. Something must have happened. Before anyone had a chance to speak, another voice spoke behind all of them.

“So you’re the thing that caused my machine to go all crazy.”


	5. Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this wasn't up on Sunday. Things got really busy.

Gwen couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing before her was the one and only Tony Stark. The man looked exactly the same as he did in her dimension, with his dark hair and beard. Even in this dimension, he wore those orange tinted glasses. Stark looked at Gwen, expecting her to give some sort of answer, but she had no words. Her spider sense was still going off, letting her know that Stark was still hiding something. Tony waited for only a bit longer before breaking the silence.

“So, are you just going to stand there,” the man began, moving so that he was leaning against the counter behind him. “or are you going to tell me why my dear intern Peter walked into my building today radiating the same energy that my quantum research machine picked up late last night?”

Each word Stark spoke led Peter to sink lower and lower into his seat. He hadn’t meant for Tony to get involved in any of this, but as soon as the boy had walked into the lab, the man had cornered him. Peter wasn’t able to get a word out before Stark was asking him all sorts of questions, like if he had somehow snuck into the lab or if he had been messing with quantum physics back home. When Peter denied having involvement in those things, Stark’s demeanor changed dramatically. He began picking the boy apart through various questions until Peter finally spilled the details of his interdimensional friend. This revelation led Stark to the apartment, where the two waited patiently for May and Gwen to return.

Gwen kicked herself into action at his words, her brain finally coming to terms with the situation at hand. Before she spoke, she removed her mask in an attempt to make herself seem less threatening. Tony’s face scrunched a bit upon seeing how young the girl was, but he didn’t have time to comment on that as she started speaking.

“Oh, right. Well you see, I was trying to make a dimensional jump to my friend’s universe and there was a bit of an accident-”

“What do you mean a bit of an accident?” Stark interrupted, obviously angry and concerned.

“I was hit by something in the middle of the jump.”

“What hit you?”

“I don’t know,” Gwen began, giving Tony an annoyed look. “That’s why I called it a ‘something’. Anyways, when I landed in this dimension, I busted my goober and now I’m stuck here.”

Stark gave her a confused look when Gwen mentioned the goober.

“What, pray tell, is a ‘goober’?” the man asked, putting air quotes on goober.

Gwen faltered, forgetting that goober wasn’t the actual name for the device. It was times like these that the girl hated how much jargon she picked up from Peter B.

“It’s, uh, it’s my dimensional...jumping...watch?”

He gave her a look.

“Uh huh. Are you sure about that, because you don’t seem so sure.”

“I don’t exactly remember the actual name of the device. It was a gift from a friend from another dimension.”

“The one you were trying to visit?”

“No. The watch was from a girl named Peni. I was trying to visit my friend Miles.”

“Okay, so you were trying to visit Michael using a watch from Pearl, got hit by some mystery object, crash landed here, and in the process, busted your watch.”

“Yes.”

“Now you need help fixing your watch.”

“Yes.”

Tony nodded his head while trying to digest everything Gwen told him. It was a lot to take in, especially since it involved interdimensional traveling. He rubbed his chin with his hand, his mind going back and forth between what to do. If he didn’t help the girl, she was stuck in this dimension for the rest of her life, which would cause her to lose her friends and family. If he did help her, it could potentially rip the dimension apart and kill an unfathomable amount of people. It was a very obvious choice to Tony.

“Alright, so let’s get started.”

He held his out and waited for the girl to give him the watch. She hesitated before removing the watch and handing it over to the man. As she was doing this Peter attempted to let Stark know about the stabilizing issue.

“Mr. Stark, just so you know, Gwen can’t-”

He didn’t get to finish as the glitching began. The attack was similar to when she removed the device the first time. Once again, she fell to the ground. Her body flashed different colors as it was trying to rip apart while also trying to reassemble. The glitching this time lasted longer than previous. When her body finally stopped convulsing, Gwen took a deep breath before slowly getting back to her feet.

Tony and May were absolutely horrified by the whole glitching episode. Neither knew how to react to the girl literally falling apart on the floor. When Gwen was on her feet again, Tony was the first to make a remark.

“Well, that looked painful.”

This remark was met with a snort and an eye roll.

“Understatement of the year,” Gwen remarked right before May joined the conversation.

“What was that?” she asked.

“That’s what happens when you’re in another dimension without a stabilizer. We call it glitching.” Gwen supplied.

“So this ‘watch’ acts as a stabilizer as well as a door to other dimensions?” Tony asked, impressed by the device.

“Yeah, I don’t know how Peni was able to make everything fit into such a small device. She also added a messaging app.”

This news made Tony stop for a minute.

“Wait wait wait. If there’s a messaging app, why haven’t you contacted Paige to help you get back?”

“The communication system is broken. I tried to message the others as soon as I landed here.”

“Was that before or after you attracted the helicopter?”

Gwen narrowed her eyes at the man, not appreciating the tone of his voice.

“Before.”

“Alright, well, I guess it’s time to start working on this thing. We’ve wasted enough time just standing here. Pete, get me all the tools you have. While he’s doing that, Wanda, why don’t you take a seat and tell me some more about this watch.”

Tony moved to sit at the kitchen table, taking the seat that Peter had occupied moments ago. Gwen sat next to him and watched as he popped open the back of the goober with the same gentle motion Peter had used when he first worked on the device. May chose to sit in the living room, away from all the science stuff she didn’t understand. Peter joined Gwen and Tony a second later, carrying various tools which he dumped on the table in the gentlest way possible. Tony didn’t seem to acknowledge the boy as he began to work on the goober. The lack of acknowledgment disappointed Peter a bit, but he said nothing as Tony worked on the goober, instead choosing to sit opposite of Gwen.

The three sat in silence for a bit before Gwen suddenly glitched again. She gripped the table tightly, trying to keep from falling to the floor again. Her body convulsed, sending white hot pain to every limb. Gwen felt like her head was being smashed to pieces from the inside out. Tony and Peter could only watch as the girl literally fell apart in front of them. It took a few minutes for the glitching to subside, leaving Gwen clutching the table and nearly in tears. She put her head down on the table.

Peter and Tony both shared a look before Tony began to go at the goober again, this time with much more determination. Peter, on the other hand, moved to sit next to Gwen in an attempt to comfort the girl. She didn’t move when he placed a hand on her back to try and help. There wasn’t much more they could do.

They sat there in silence for some time. Tony was hoping that Gwen would talk to him and tell him more about the device he was attempting to reconstruct, but the glitching episode put a pin in that part of the plan. He didn’t want to bother the girl too much since she was in pain, but he needed to know more about the device and how exactly it was supposed to function. He sighed before moving to tap on the girl’s arm to get her attention. This motion was a mistake. As soon as his hand brushed the girl’s arm, she reacted. Gwen moved quickly, grabbing Tony’s hand before maneuvering so that she had the man pinned to the table.

“Gah!”

“Don’t. Touch. Me.” Gwen growled, breathing heavily.

The touch from Stark had sent her spider sense into overdrive and it freaked her out. She still had no idea what was causing her sense to be so sensitive, but it was obvious that Stark was to blame. She hated how it kept tugging at the back of her head, almost as if it were taunting her. She wanted it to stop.

“Okay, geesh. You can let go now Tinkerbell.”

Gwen relinquished her grip on the man, stepping away as she did so.

“Sorry,” she breathed out, “It’s just, I have this thing which alerts me to danger, we call it a spider sense, and every time I get close to you, it flares up.”

Peter gave Gwen a look.

“Why would it flare up around Mr. Stark? He isn’t trying to hurt anyone.”

“I don’t know. It’s not always the easiest thing to understand.”

Tony stayed silent while Peter and Gwen spoke. He knew exactly why the girl’s spider sense was going off. He didn’t have a guard with him, so he carried his own protection. He wasn’t going to tell the kids that though. Tony didn’t need anyone knowing that he carried weapons on him, not even someone from another dimension. Instead, he chose to play innocent.

“Well, maybe this unexpected dimensional travel is messing with your spider sense.”

Gwen gave Tony a look, but chose not to say anything else. She could tell the man wasn’t telling them something. Peter, on the other hand, completely accepted the idea. Tony went back to his seat after glancing at Gwen one more time. The two kids took their seats soon after. This time, Gwen watched Tony intently. Stark didn’t seem to notice the change, and instead chose this time to ask the questions he had been stewing over.

“So, how does this thing work?”

Gwen gave Tony a look before answering the question.

“The goober has several functions. The main function is to act as a dimensional translocator, allowing us to jump from dimension to dimension. Peni programmed in our dimensions, so we can ‘speed dial’ each other’s dimension and make the jump easier. Otherwise, we’d have to manually enter the coordinates for the dimension.”

“Okay, so like a teleportation device but on steroids.”

“Kind of. It’s a lot more complex than teleporting, but I guess the idea is relatively the same.”

“You also said something about stabilization?”

“Yes. One of the other functions is to stabilize our atoms while we are in another dimension. This is one of the most crucial parts of interdimensional travel. Items that are in the wrong dimension try to forcibly remove themselves from that dimension, so in order for us to stay in different dimensions, it’s important that our atoms don’t try and do that.”

“How’d your friend figure out that things tried to rip themselves apart in alternate dimensions?”

Gwen chuckled at the question, knowing her answer would probably create more questions.

“A while back a crazy scientist lady named Olivia Octavius created a super collider and dragged me and four others into an alternate dimension. We learned the hard way that displaced things try to rip themselves apart.”

Gwen was right. Her answer caused Tony and Peter to look at her like there was a tree growing out of her ear.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s a long story for another time.”

Tony shook his head, trying to understand why someone would create a super collider without thinking about the damage it could cause to the dimension. He couldn’t understand why someone would overlook the dangers. He sighed before forcing his attention back to the goober. 

“Why did she drag you to the other dimension?”

“I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but one way or another the DNA from her dimension’s Spider-Man got put into the collider’s beam. I’m guessing the DNA is similar across dimensions, so it locked on to other people who had similar DNA and dragged us there.”

Tony froze. He couldn’t have possibly heard the girl correctly.

“I’m sorry, did you say that she put _Spider-Man’s DNA_ into the collider?”

Gwen flinched at his words. She forgot that they didn’t have superheroes in this dimension.

“Yeah.”

“Spider-Man, as in the comic book hero, Spider-Man.”

“Yes, and before you ask, we _are_ able to crawl on the walls and have super strength. Oh, and all of us have artificial webs, except for Noir.”

Tony stared at the girl while he slowly set his tools down. His head felt like it was going to explode. He knew the girl had used the artificial webbing when she first entered the dimension, but he thought nothing of it. He believed that she was just using technology from her dimension and thought it would be funny to wear a costume to make it _seem_ like she was a hero. He didn’t think that she actually _was_ a hero. He looked at Peter to see how the kid was handling all this information, only to find the kid looking at him and grinning like a maniac. Tony shifted his attention back to Gwen.

“So you mean to tell me there are dimensions where superheroes are real?”

“Yes, and the funny thing is, this is the first dimension I’ve been to that hasn’t had heroes.”

Tony took this in, trying his best to understand. He rubbed his face before locking that information in the back of his head and getting back to working on the goober. He decided that it would be best if he just tried to focus on the goober instead of trying to unpack everything that Gwen just told him.

“The other feature on the goober is a communication app,” Gwen supplied, trying to switch the topic, “It lets us talk to one another without having to actually go to that person’s dimension. You can message a person individually, or you can use a group chat.”

“That’s one of the things you said was busted, right?”

“Yup. All it does is give error messages when you try and send something.”

Tony nodded his head, taking in all the information. He was trying his best to understand what all he needed to fix on the device. It didn’t help at all that the technology was nothing like what he was used to working with. There were components in the small compartment that he had seen before and struggled to understand the function of. If he had seen the thing before it had been smashed to pieces, he might have been able to understand the purpose of the components, but now it was just a jumbled mess.

They spent another hour sitting at the table talking while Tony worked on the goober. During that time, Gwen had another glitching episode, this time not as severe as the last. After it was over, Peter nearly asked Tony to stop working on the goober so that Gwen could wear it again and stop glitching. He hated seeing Gwen in pain. Tony only took the glitching as a sign to work quicker. Like Peter, he didn’t like seeing the girl hurting, especially since he was the thing keeping her from being stable.

Tony began growing more and more frustrated with the goober. Each breakthrough he made resulted in several more issues popping up. It was like trying to untangle a ball of string, where you think you’ve untangled things, but all you really did was create several smaller knots. It was infuriating. He finally had enough when the goober shocked his hand. He dropped the tool he had been using onto the table out of frustration. He rubbed his face before closing up the goober and handing it back to Gwen.

“It’s not done yet, but I need a break,” he stated before standing up and stretching.

“Thank you for trying to fix it.”

She put the goober back on her wrist, securing it before making sure the stabilizer was once again active. Gwen was truly thankful that Tony decided to help her. She didn’t know what she would do without the help.

“It’s no problem kid. We wouldn’t want you stuck in the wrong dimension, now would we?”

“No sir.”

Gwen gave a small solute with her answer. Tony shook his head at her action before moving into the living room, leaving Gwen and Peter alone in the kitchen. Peter had listened intently during the entirety of the questioning. Hearing Gwen talk about the other dimensions made him curious. It took him a minute to fully formulate the question he wanted to ask the girl, and when he did, it caught Gwen off guard.

“Gwen, what’s it like to travel to another dimension?”

Gwen thought for a minute before giving her answer.

“It’s really weird. When you first start to make the jump, you feel like you’re falling. It’s like you’re weightless and floating through space, but somehow it also feels like something is pressing down on you. Honestly, I don’t really like it. The only upside I guess is the view.”

Peter looked at her, begging her to elaborate.

“As you’re traveling from one dimension to another, you can see other dimensions. The best way to describe it is like a giant spider web, with each dimension located somewhere on that web.”

“Does everything have to be spider related with you guys?” Peter asked, laughing.

“I’m serious! It actually looks like a giant spider web.”

“Sure it does.”

Gwen huffed, which caused Peter to laugh. The two continued their conversation, going back and forth, while also making fun of one another. From the other room, Tony and May smiled, happy to know that for now, things were alright.


	6. Rising Threats

When the device made its way back into the lab, Jacobson was expecting it to be slightly dinged up from the collision. He wasn’t expecting there to be a bag tied around the sphere. His first thought upon seeing the bag was that it was the object that had slammed into the device. It made sense in his mind, since that bag had a dimensional reading that was almost an exact match to the one from when the collision occurred. That, Jacobson found out, was incorrect. The fact that the bag didn’t match exactly made him look at the data again, and sure enough, the data after the collision matched the bag, but not the actual collision. This meant that something else had hit the machine as well. Something that was still out there in the dimensional void.

Jacobson was quick to take his findings to Dr. Octavius. After the last encounter with the man, Jacobson did everything without question. He feared for what would happen if he didn’t follow the doctor’s commands.

Octavius wasn’t in his office this time. Instead, Jacobson found him in his private lab, hunched over a new piece of technology. Octavius seemed to take no notice of the man who had just entered his lab. Jacobson didn’t let this deter him from delivering the news. Putting on a neutral face, the man walked towards the lab table Octavius was currently slaving over. Without a word, Jacobson delivered the report, watching as one of the metal arms grabbed the papers out of his hand.

Octavius held the papers for a minute, finishing up a piece of the device before straightening his back ever so slightly and reading the report. Jacobson watched Octavius’ face as he read the report. The doctor gave no indication as to what he was thinking during the time he took to look over the paper. Once he finished reading, he turned to Jacobson.

“Bring me the bag.”

Jacobson nodded, then went to retrieve the item, not wanting to disappoint the doctor again. The man entered the main lab and walked over to where the bag had been distributed after being removed from the device. He grabbed the handle and hulled the bag back to Octavius’ private lab. The bag was strangely heavy, and he struggled to carry the thing. It made Jacobson wonder if it belonged to someone with an unnatural amount of strength. When the man entered the room this time, Otto was facing the door waiting for his arrival. He held out the bag, and once again, a metal arm took the item from his hand.

Otto swept everything off the lab table and dumped the contents of the bag onto the table. There was no grace in his actions. His metal arms searched through the clothes and other items that the bag had been holding. Jacobson watched as the doctor grew more and more frustrated the longer he sifted through the items on the table. After another minute, Octavius slammed his metal arms down on the lab table, causing Jacobson to jump.

“Is-is something wrong Doctor?”

Octavius turned to face the man.

“The items, Jacobson.”

“What about them?”

“They belong to a child!” The doctor roared.

This startled the man. Why would the bag contain items belonging to a child? Jacobson refused to believe that a child was able to crack the code to interdimensional travel. It had taken him and his team years to even figure out how to get that device into the dimensional void. If a child somehow figured out how to travel to other dimensions, it would put everyone in that lab to shame. There had to be another explanation for those items to have been in that bag.

“What? Why would the bag have a child’s possessions in it?”

The doctor gave the man an annoyed look. Otto had hired Jacobson because of his smarts, but sometimes he wondered if he misjudged his employee’s intellect.

“I don’t know Jacobson,” Otto spit, “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

Once he was finished speaking, Octavius turned to face the lab table once more. He cleared the table by simply throwing the items to the floor. They were unimportant, and thus didn’t need to be cared for. One of his arms grabbed the device that he had been working on before Jacobson had entered with the report. The device was deposited on the lab table, where Otto began to work on it once more. Jacobson watched for a bit before returning to the main lab. He didn’t want to bother the doctor while he worked on that machine.

As he worked, Octavius debated on whether or not the person bending space to their will had a child or was a child. There were enough items in the bag for the traveler to be a child, but the very idea of a child being intelligent enough to figure out how to safely travel across the multiverse was ridiculous. As he fiddled with his new device, an idea began to form in the back of his mind.

The items that were in the bag came from the person who was dimension hopping, so if he could figure out how to create a tracker, he would be able to pinpoint exactly where that person had landed, no matter what dimension they were in. Then, he thought back to the device that the person had hit. They had tracked the device through the multiverse. He could take that part of the device and easily modify it so that it would be able to track a specific signature.

Without a second thought, the doctor stopped what he was working on and made his way to the device in the main lab. Upon his entrance, the other scientists stopped working and watched the doctor. It was impossible to predict what the man was going to do, especially after something like this. The doctor paid no attention to them as he made his way over to the device. Once he was at the device, he examined it for a second before ripping into it to gather the parts that he needed.

The other scientists watched in disbelief as the thing they had spent nearly their entire lives on was ripped apart in front of them. Jacobson hated seeing his life's work be torn apart by the man that had all but forced them to work on the device. For a moment, he thought about standing up to the doctor, but he quickly forced the idea to the back of his mind. Anyone willing to stand up to Otto Octavius was out of their mind. The doctor hated when people went against his wishes, and he would stop at nothing to make sure that he got what he wanted. Many had learned this after the whole Spider-Man incident. The poor kid tried to stop Octavius all on his own. The result was a memorial service for a hero who was far too young. Jacobson could still see the devastated face of the boy’s aunt. The doctor on the other hand, was not bothered by the boy’s death at all.

After Otto had found all the parts he needed, he retreated back to his personal lab. He didn’t need all of the others getting in his way. Back at his lab table, the doctor began wiring the new parts into the machine. The thing was far from pretty, but that was the least of the doctor’s concerns. Aesthetics could come after the thing was able to find the mystery traveler.

Otto worked for hours, adding to the machine in an attempt to get it working. At one point, he added a small monitor to the thing, hoping that it would help give him an idea as to what was working on the thing. So far, all that seemed to do was cause more headaches. Another half hour went by before the monitor suddenly lit up. This surprised the doctor. He watched as the monitor displayed a strange string of code. After taking a closer look, the doctor realized that the code was giving him the answers he had been looking for. The numbers that ran across the little screen were coordinates.

The doctor grinned. Finally, things were coming together. He began to work on the machine some more, trying to clean it up and make the display a lot more cohesive. Once things were cleaned up, the doctor began to look into the information the machine was giving him. Much of what he was seeing made little to no sense to him. It was all very advanced, almost as if it was from another time. He wondered vaguely if the device had come from another time. He huffed at that idea. Dimensional travel was dangerous enough on its own. He didn’t want to think about the consequences of messing with the timeline. The doctor examined the data for a while, trying to decipher it all when something caught his eye. The machine seemed to be picking up coding for another device. Octavius smiled. He had found the coding for the device the traveler had used to cross dimensions.

He studied the other code for some time. With the amount of data that he was finding, Otto believed that the device did more than transport the user from one dimension to another. From what he could tell, there also appeared to be a stabilizer. Otto knew that the person who designed the device knew there would be problems with existing outside of their own dimension. He wondered how they figured out such a problem existed. His own team had had problems with their device when they first began their dimensional exploration. Several of their machines had mysteriously combusted after entering the dimensional void, and Octavius wondered if it had to do with the device rejecting being out of it’s dimension. He shook his head and began looking at the other parts of the dimension hopper’s device.

The other part that he was able to figure out was that the device the person had used had some sort of communication application. This discovery baffled the doctor. He didn’t understand why they would need a communication application on the device. The only reason that Octavius was able to come up with was that they weren’t the only person who was able to travel between dimensions. Otto took a moment to think before beginning to work on the machine again. If he was somehow able to copy that part of the code, he just might be able to get in contact with the traveler. It didn’t take long before the man was typing a message onto the monitor.

 

**_Unknown has created a chat_ **

**_Unknown has added Gwakanda to the chat_ **

 

**_Unknown: Hello?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: who is this?_ **

 

The name took Otto by surprise. He shook it off not even a second later, chalking it up to be normal to the dimension they came from. Nevertheless, he needed to figure out an answer to their question. Otto looked at the machine and started digging around the information in the device in hopes of finding a name of some sort. He knew that the traveler wouldn’t speak to him if he told them who he really was. Why would they? If he told them that he was a scientist who had happened upon them during one of their jumps they would probably disable their device and try to keep him from learning more about the multiverse. Eventually, he found something that he could use.

 

**_Unknown: It’s Peter B._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: oh thank god._ **

 

**_Unknown: Are you alright?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: yeah._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: i’m alright, just had a bit of a mishap during a jump._ **

 

**_Unknown: What happened?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: i hit something in the middle of the jump and it sent me to some random dimension._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: my goober broke when i landed here, which is why i haven’t been messaging you guys_ **

 

 

Otto ignored the ridiculous name of the device and instead chose to focus on the second part of Gwakanda’s message. If the device had broken, how was Gwakanda okay? Based off of what the doctor had found, they needed that stabilizer to stay in other dimensions. Without that stabilizer, surely they would have been ripped apart for trying to exist outside of their dimension.

 

**_Unknown: Wait, if your goober is broken, how are you okay?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: the stabilizer is working, but the dimensional translocator is broken._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: the communication part was broken, but we got it to work again._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: kind of._ **

 

**_Unknown: What do you mean ‘kind of’? Also, who is ‘we’?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: well, i’m only able to talk to you._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: also, by we i meant tony stark._ **

 

Otto couldn’t believe what he was reading. Tony Stark existed in an alternate universe. The idea of multiple versions of people existing was exciting to the doctor. He wondered if he was anything like the Stark from his dimension. It was obvious from Gwakanda’s messages that he was smart in that dimension as well. Unfortunately for them, Otto was smarter.

 

**_Unknown: Why are you working with Tony Stark?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: didn’t really have a choice._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: this dimension doesn’t have superheroes, so he was my best bet to getting home._ **

 

This just kept getting better and better. Without any of those pesky heroes to get in the way, Otto would easily be able to get what he wanted. He would easily be able to get to Gwakanda and take everything he wanted from them. Gwakanda couldn’t have fallen into a more perfect universe if they tried.

 

**_Gwakanda: did you let peni know about what’s going on?_ **

 

**_Unknown: Yes, and she says she’s working on getting things worked out._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: do you know how long it will take for you guys to be able to get to me?_ **

 

Otto thought for a moment. He wondered how long it would take him to create something similar to the device that Gwakanda was using to dimension hop. Since what he collected from the device itself was far beyond his understanding, he went back to what they had created previously. That other device had traveled into the multiverse. Otto was sure that he would be able to configure the thing to target a dimension and jump to it. It would take some time, however, to get the whole thing put together and worked out. His best guess would be at least 12 hours to get the bare minimum structured and worked out, then another couple of hours to polish it up enough for travel. Of course, with everything that’s at stake, he couldn’t afford to do test runs so that would help cut down on the time.

 

**_Unknown: It will probably take around 14 hours, maybe more._ **

 

**_Unknown: It’s really complicated stuff._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: that’s okay, i guess._ **

 

**_Unknown: Are you going to be okay in the meantime?_ **

 

**_Gwakanda: yeah, i have people here that i can trust while i wait for you guys to find me._ **

 

**_Unknown: That’s good._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: i can feel the worry just by reading your stupid message._ **

 

**_Unknown: Sorry, I can’t help it._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: don’t worry, us spider-people are tough._ **

 

**_Unknown: I have to go now. Stay safe._ **

 

**_Gwakanda: i will_ **

 

**_Unknown has left the chat_ **

 

Everything had been fine, until Gwakanda revealed that the people jumping from dimension to dimension were spiders. This complicated things and Otto hated that. The spider from his dimension had been a pain, and he had no doubt that Gwakanda would be no different. They never seemed to give up, even when they were on the verge of death. Otto found the only thing that would stop that stupid brat was to get rid of him, permanently. He figured he’d have to do the same with this spider as well.

After Octavius wrapped up the conversation with Gwakanda, he made his way back to the main lab. He needed more parts from the device in order to make the one that would allow him to travel through the multiverse. Octavius paid no attention to the other scientists still in the lab. He needed to focus on this dimensional translocator. He didn’t need any distractions. The other scientists, on the other hand, watched Otto as he made to destroy their work even further. Finally, Jacobson couldn’t take it any longer. He had worked for so long on that thing and the doctor was taking it apart like it was some toy that could easily be replaced.

The man walked towards the doctor, determination written all over his face. He wouldn’t stand for the doctor’s behavior. Once he was close to the doctor, the man waited a bit in hopes that the doctor would notice him standing there. Unfortunately, the doctor didn’t do as Jacobson had hoped. Otto couldn’t care less what the other scientists did, so long as they didn’t bother him while he worked. When Jacobson realized that Octavius wasn’t paying attention to him, he sighed. He had hoped that he wouldn’t have to begin the interaction. Taking a deep breath, Jacobson began to speak.

“Dr. Octavius, may I ask what you are doing?”

Otto stopped taking the device apart. He turned to face the person who thought that it would be a good idea to interrupt him while he was working. Once he laid eyes on Jacobson, he scowled. That was twice now the man has tried to stop him from accomplishing his goal.

“I am recycling parts from this to create a more advanced machine.”

This seemed to only fuel the anger inside the man.

“I understand you want to create something even better, but you can’t just go and tear apart our project!”

“This project is obsolete now. Things have advanced far beyond your comprehension and-”

“Obsolete? You are out of your mind! This project had so many scientific breakthroughs, how could it possibly be obsolete?”

“Like I was saying, there has been an advancement which has put this project to shame. I found-”

Jacobson laughed, cutting the doctor off once again. Otto was beginning to grow quite frustrated with Jacobson’s actions.

“Oh, I get it now,” Jacobson began. “You just want to take our project and rework it so that it becomes ‘your’ project. You don’t want to share any of the credit.”

“That is preposterous. I’m not doing this to get some silly award. Things are-”

“Things. You keep saying that as though it helps your case. If you ask me, I think you’re just trying to come up with an excuse. You don’t have to lie to us doctor. If you want to do this all on your own you could have just said so. Honestly, I don’t know why any of us agreed to work with you. You are nothing but a-”

“Enough!”

Otto moved without thinking, swinging one of his metal arms. He had had enough of Jacobson’s spiel. The man had too much to say about things he knew nothing about. He spoke as though he knew what Otto was thinking. There was an audible crunch, and then the lab went silent. He sighed before turning back towards the device and continuing to gather the parts he needed. Once he had everything, he made his way back to his personal lab, leaving the other scientists to clean up the mess.

Somewhere far away, a family would soon be planning a memorial service.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while. I am very sorry for the lack of an update. I lost motivation to write, and college really isn't helping with that at all. I probably won't be posting with any sort of schedule at all, but I do plan on finishing the story at some point. I have everything laid out with where it's supposed to go, I just have to actually write it. Once again, I'm sorry about how long it has taken me to get this out to you guys. I hope you enjoy!

Peni had spent the majority of her night working on devices for the others to use to help locate Gwen. She only went to bed when Noir had made a jump to her dimension and practically dragged her to her room. Once she woke up, Peni spent the entire day working on the devices. She had tried to be as positive as possible to help Miles not freak out, but she couldn’t help but panic about the reason for Gwen going missing. As far as any of them knew, there was nothing that would have caused Gwen to not make it to her destination. Peni was worried that someone was trying to navigate the multiverse. Sure, her and the other spiders would jump from dimension to dimension, but she had found a way to make the jumps without ripping everything to shreds. She wasn’t so sure others would do the same.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the machine to her right beeped. The final device was finished being created, so now the others would be able to help her search for the missing spider. She was about to message the others when she noticed it was 3:30 in the morning. It was far too early in the morning to be messaging the others. With a sigh, she stood and stretched. Noir would scold her if he knew she had stayed up late again.

She knew it would be best if she went to bed, but her mind kept wandering back to the idea of others trying to study the multiverse. It made her feel very uneasy. It was almost like her spider sense was trying to warn her about something. Instead of going to her room, the girl decided to check and see if she could find out anything else from Gwen’s goober. Pulling out a small tablet, the girl got to work running diagnostics. Her face twisted in confusion when the diagnostics came back. She thought for sure that it would send an error like it had before, but it didn’t. It still didn’t give her where Gwen was, but it gave her more than she had gotten previously.

The screen displayed information about messages that had been sent to and from Gwen’s goober. Peni looked at the chat logs. The person that Gwen had spoken to claimed to be Peter, but he never mentioned reaching the girl. Baffled by this, Peni took the time to look at B’s goober. While she did this, the feeling she had earlier got worse and worse. She looked at B’s latest chat logs, none of which matched the one she had found on Gwen’s goober. Without hesitation, the girl went back to Gwen’s chat logs and began a search to try and locate where the messages were coming from. While that was loading, she switched over to her own chat menu, not caring about the time anymore.

  
  


**_RoboCop has signed into Spider-Gang_ **

  
  


**RoboCop: Guys, I found something.**

 

**TheRemix: really????**

 

**RoboCop: Yeah, but it isn’t good.**

 

**TheOriginal: What do you mean? Also, you two shouldn’t be up right now**

 

**TheRemix: you aren’t my dad**

 

**TheOriginal: Maybe not, but I’m still an adult**

 

**TheRemix: barely**

 

**TheOriginal: You hurt me Miles**

 

**RoboCop: If you guys could stop fighting and listen that would be great.**

  
  


Peni shook her head. These two were ridiculous. They couldn’t go two minutes without changing the subject and going at each other. She needed them both to focus because what she discovered was really important.

  
  


**TheRemix: sorry**

 

**TheOriginal: You have my attention**

 

**RoboCop: So a little bit ago I tried to scan Gwen’s goober again because I had a feeling something was off.**

 

**RoboCop: Normally, the scan would just come back as an error, but this time it didn’t.**

 

**TheRemix: wait, isn’t that a good thing?**

 

**RoboCop: I wish it was. I still can’t track Gwen, but I was able to access some chat logs on her goober.**

 

**TheOriginal: So we’re able to talk to her now?**

 

**RoboCop: Not yet.**

 

**TheOriginal: Okay, so why are you messaging us at too early o’clock in the morning then?**

 

**RoboCop: We aren’t able to message Gwen, but someone else has been.**

 

**TheRemix: what >!!?**

 

**RoboCop: They claimed to be Peter B and were talking to Gwen about making a device to jump to the dimension she was in.**

 

**TheOriginal: Huh, that sounds really bad**

 

**HamN’Cheese: you could say that again**

 

**TheOriginal: Hey Ham**

 

**HamN’Cheese: howdy**

 

**RoboCop: Currently, I’m trying to find out where the other messages were coming from.**

 

**OldMan: What’s going on?**

 

**TheOriginal: Peni found out someone has been posing as me and messaging Gwen**

 

**OldMan: That doesn’t sound good.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: not at all**

 

**RoboCop: What’s worse is that they’re trying to make a device to be able to jump to the dimension she’s in.**

 

**OldMan: Do we know where she is?**

 

**RoboCop: Not yet, but looking at what Gwen said, she was hit by something while she was making the jump to Miles’ dimension.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: well thats one mystery solved**

 

**TheOriginal: Speaking of Miles**

 

**TheOriginal: Kid, you doing okay?**

 

**TheRemix: no**

 

**TheRemix: this is all my fault**

 

**OldMan: I don’t see how any of this is your fault at all.**

 

**TheRemix: gwen was coming to my dimension**

 

**TheRemix: if i hadntve invited her she wouldnt be stuck in some random dimension**

 

**TheOriginal: Miles, you couldn’t have known that Gwen was going to end up not in your dimension**

 

**TheOriginal: Don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t control**

 

**TheRemix: i guess youre right**

 

**HamN’Cheese: besides kid**

 

**HamN’Cheese: gwen is probably getting help from the spider person in that dimension anyways**

  
  


Peni frowned at Ham’s words. That was the part that she was really dreading to explain. Gwen’s messages had shocked her at first. Her initial thoughts were all over the place, but the more thought she put into it, the more she began to accept and understand what Gwen had said. Sure, there were an infinite number of universes with various spider-people, so there had to be something to counteract them. Peni figured that with the infinite number of spider-filled universes, there had to be an equal number without a spider hero. The thought was very exciting to the girl, however Peni didn’t think the others would find the discovery quite as interesting.

  
  


**RoboCop: Uhhh**

 

**HamN’Cheese: “uhhh”?**

 

**OldMan: Anything else you’d like to tell us doll?**

 

**RoboCop: In her messages, Gwen mentioned that the universe she is in doesn’t have any superheroes.**

 

**TheOriginal: Wait, what**

 

**HamN’Cheese: thats a big yikes right there**

 

**TheRemix: how is that even possible???**

 

**OldMan: Well, it makes some sense, doesn’t it?**

 

**OldMan: There are a lot of universes with spider people, so statistically, there would be some without them.**

  
  


Peni stared at her screen in shock. Out of all the spider-people, she never would have guessed Noir would be the one to understand what she was telling them. Her shock quickly turned to a smile before continuing to message the group.

  
  


**RoboCop: Exactly.**

 

**TheRemix: so out of all the universes gwen happened to get yote into, it was one that didnt have a spiderman**

 

**OldMan: Yote?**

 

**TheOriginal: ^^^^ Also, Spider-Man***

 

**TheRemix: god youre old**

 

**HamN’Cheese: yeesh thats rough**

 

**RoboCop: Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about either.**

 

**TheRemix: seriously?!**

 

**RoboCop: I’m from the future, remember? My slang is very different from yours.**

 

**TheRemix: right**

 

**TheRemix: i forgot about that**

 

**TheOriginal: You forgot Peni is from the future, but not that Noir is from the 30’s?**

 

**TheRemix: look man**

 

**OldMan: Is yote some sort of alternate word for throw?**

 

**HamN’Cheese: would you look at that**

 

**TheRemix: yup! technically yeet is the word for throw and yote is the past tense**

 

**TheOriginal: Wouldn’t the past tense be yeeted?**

 

**TheRemix: no**

 

**TheRemix: just no**

  
  


Peni didn’t get a chance to give her input as a notification popped up on one of her screens. She quickly diverted her attention from the conversation to the other device. The screen was notifying her that the scan was about to finish. She hoped that the scan would give her an actual answer and not spit out an error.

  
  


**RoboCop: As much as I would like to stay and debate the proper term for the past tense of that word, I have to go.**

 

**TheRemix: where are you going?**

 

**RoboCop: The scans are almost done.**

 

**RoboCop: Also, it is really late and I’m getting tired.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: dont you mean early**

  
  


**_RoboCop has signed out of Spider-Gang_ **

  
  


Peni didn’t stay around long enough to see the aftermath of Ham’s awful joke. She needed to focus on getting the information from the person who was messaging Gwen. After another minute or so, another notification popped up, signaling to the girl that the scans had finally completed. With a deep breath, she began to read the results. They had listed coordinates from the universe that the messages had been sent from. Peni smiled, happy that she got results that would actually be useful. After another few seconds, a second line began appearing underneath the coordinates. This line of information was different. It wasn’t information relating to where the messages were coming from, but appeared to be coding.

Peni tilted her head while looking through the new information that was filtering onto her screen. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She began to try and deduce what this information was and why it was appearing before her. The only logical explanation she could think of was that the coding was coming from the machine that the Peter B imposter was going to build. Peni quickly began to copy the coding down on another device. If this was the coding for the machine that the imposter was building, then Peni would be able to create a way to stop the machine.

Once the final line of code had scrolled across the screen, Peni shifted her focus from copying down the code to figuring out how to create a kill code. Her fingers were flying across the screen in front of her. The code was complex, thus making it difficult to try and create something to kill it. There were a lot of precautions set in place with the code, indicating to the young spider that the creator was someone of high intelligence. Peni didn’t know if this was a good thing or not. On one hand, it could mean meeting someone extraordinary, on the other, it could mean a lot of trouble.

Stifling a yawn, Peni pressed on with her work. She glanced at the clock, noting that it had been well over an hour since she had signed off of the group chat. She let out a small groan. She couldn’t believe how much time had passed. She had barely made a dent in the kill code. She wanted desperately to sleep, but she knew that that wasn’t an option at this point. Whoever was talking to Gwen was obviously moving along quickly with their plan to make a jump to her. Peni wanted to avoid that at all costs, so she pressed on.

The sun was filtering into her room by the time she had finished. She rubbed her eyes trying hard to stay awake. She grabbed her goober with the intent to let the others know what she was up to when she noticed that something changed on the screen that had the original coding. Something new had appeared at the bottom. After looking it over, Peni’s stomach dropped. The machine had been activated. The girl moved at lightning speeds.

  
  


**_RoboCop has signed into Spider-Gang_ **

  
  


**RoboCop: Hi, so very bad news. I need all of you guys right now to listen and get ready to make an emergency jump.**

 

**TheOriginal: Whats going on, what happened?**

 

**HamN’Cheese: on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad are we talking**

 

**RoboCop: 11**

 

**TheOriginal: Yikes**

 

**RoboCop: The person who was pretending to be you made a device in order to jump to the dimension that Gwen is in.**

 

**OldMan: So you were able to track down the goon?**

 

**RoboCop: Kind of? That’s not really the point right now.**

 

**TheRemix: what do you mean thats not the point**

 

**TheRemix: we know where the guy is so we can stop him**

 

**HamN’Cheese: i like the sound of that**

 

**TheOriginal: Send us the coordinates so we can go kick this guys butt**

  
  


Peni was growing very frustrated with how quickly the other spiders were able to get off topic. She was trying to tell them something really important. They always seemed to think they understood the situation before she had the chance to tell them anything at all. It didn’t matter what dimension this person came from because currently they were in the same dimension as Gwen. They were possibly a very big threat as well, and she really needed the rest of the spiders to listen to her.

  
  


**RoboCop: Guys can you please focus for a second.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: we are focussed**

 

**TheRemix: yeah! give us the info and well make the jump and take down the guy just like that**

 

**RoboCop: You guys aren’t understanding what I’m trying to say.**

 

**TheRemix: its not really that hard to understand**

 

**TheRemix: just give us the stuff and we can get gwen back**

 

**OldMan: Would you guys stop talking and let the girl explain what’s going on.**

 

**TheRemix: sorry**

 

**HamN’Cheese: apologies**

 

**RoboCop: Thank you Noir.**

 

**OldMan: Anytime doll.**

 

**RoboCop: I have the coordinates for the dimension where the imposter is from, but this morning I noticed that there was new information collected.**

 

**TheRemix: what do you mean**

 

**RoboCop: There was a change in the data from last night when I was messaging you guys and now.**

 

**TheOriginal: So something with the machine changed?**

 

**RoboCop: In a way. Honestly, there’s no easy way to say this.**

 

**TheRemix: what?????**

 

**RoboCop: The machine was used, meaning that whoever created it is now in the dimension that Gwen is in.**

  
  


Peni was waiting for replies when one of her screens dinged. She glanced at the chat before drawing her attention towards the screen that had been displaying Gwen’s messages to the mystery person. A new message had appeared, sent from the person who was now in her dimension. She was fully expecting the message to be some kind of message to Gwen talking about meeting up somewhere in the dimension. What she saw on the screen, however, made her sick. She had thought that things were already bad enough, but her heart nearly stopped when she read through what the message said.

 

**_Unknown: Dear person reading through these messages, I know you’ve been monitoring what I’ve been up to. I have your friend, and if you want to see her again at all, you’ll come here and give up your dimensional warping devices. You have 2 hours._ **

 

Peni’s mouth went dry. Whoever was doing this was smart, and the fact that they had caught her made her feel as though she had failed. With a shaky breath, Peni turned back to the group chat where the others were going crazy. She didn’t know how she was going to tell them about the message. She knew it was a trap, there was no way it wasn’t. The person on the other end was calculating and knew just how to get to her.

  
  


**TheRemix: what do you mean the person is in the same dimension as gwen**

 

**HamN’Cheese: it means that they used that machine to jump to the same dimension as drummer girl**

 

**TheRemix: really? nows not the time for jokes ham**

 

**HamN’Cheese: hey dont get snippy with me young man**

 

**TheOriginal: Peni, can you give us more information? If Gwen is in trouble we need to know so we can go help her**

 

**OldMan: Yeah, doll. If you have the information for where Gwen is, we could really use that right now.**

 

**TheRemix: peni are you there**

 

**HamN’Cheese: we could really use some answers right now**

 

**TheRemix: peni**

 

**TheRemix: peni**

 

**TheRemix: peni**

 

**TheRemix: peni**

 

**TheRemix: peni**

 

**TheRemix: peni**

 

**TheOriginal: Miles stop that, it’s not going to make her respond any faster**

 

**TheRemix: you dont know that**

 

**TheOriginal: I’m almost 100% certain that it wouldn’t**

 

**TheRemix: im 100% certain that youre an old hobo**

 

**TheOriginal: Wow, totally uncalled for**

 

**OldMan: Would you two knuckleheads knock it off.**

 

**TheOriginal: No can do now, Miles has insulted me and made things personal**

 

**OldMan: That shouldn’t matter right now when we need to focus on Gwen and how to get to her before the other person does.**

 

**RoboCop: That’s going to be a problem then.**

  
  


Peni was feeling very queasy. She couldn’t believe what was happening, and she dreaded telling the others the awful news. She could just imagine the chaos that would ensue. She was certain that Miles would have a panic attack, while Peter B and Ham would jump straight into the dimension and attempt to go after Gwen without thinking anything through. Peni, however, was worried most about what Noir would do. The man was already scary enough as it is, but when people messed with those he cared about he was downright  _ terrifying _ . With a shaking breath, she typed out the message.

  
  


**TheOriginal: Why would that be a problem????**

 

**RoboCop: They sent Gwen another message, and by Gwen, I mean me.**

 

**OldMan: I’m not following.**

 

**RoboCop: They knew I was monitoring the messages and the machine.**

 

**HamN’Cheese: i dont like where this is going**

 

**TheRemix: this sounds bad**

 

**RoboCop: It is. They have Gwen.**

  
  


Peni sent that last message, and it wasn’t even a second later that the chat exploded. The others were typing up a storm, leaving Peni drowning in their messages. She tried her best to keep up, but they were just coming in way too fast. She was attempting to answer some more questions when another message came through from the imposter.

 

**_Unknown: Since you have neglected to respond to me, I’m changing my deal. You either bring my your devices, or the girl is dead. You have 10 minutes to decide._ **


	8. Reality Shattered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a very long time. I'm very sorry if you've been waiting for this. College is taking up so much of my time and it's making it so hard to get this story finished. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the rest of the story out a lot quicker than I have been. I hope you enjoy this chapter (ngl it's 3:30 am and I'm not sure if any of this makes any sense, but I'm posting it anyway, enjoy).

After an hour, Tony decided that his ‘I can’t deal with this device right now’ break should come to an end. He needed to get this kid home, and he couldn’t do that by sitting and talking with Peter’s aunt. With a sigh, the mechanic rose from the couch and made his way back into the kitchen where Peter and Gwen were still talking.

“All right, break time is over. Let’s get this thing fixed,” Tony said, startling the two teens.

After getting over her shock, Gwen removed the goober from her wrist. Once again, she glitched, this time though, it was small and quickly swept over her body. She then handed the device over to Tony, who took the goober and sat down. He glanced over at Gwen, worried about the girl and how much time they had before things got really bad. She caught his glance and gave him a smile which Tony returned. The kids didn’t need to know his dark thoughts. Especially not Peter. The boy was hurt so bad after losing the Gwen from this universe and Tony didn’t want to hurt him again with the thought of losing this Gwen.

Tony returned his gaze to the device and grabbed some of his tools. He had to hand it to whoever created this thing. The device was complex, but it was absolutely beautiful. The interior was organized in such a smart way that Tony was genuinely impressed. The only problem was the technology was much more advanced than anything he had ever worked with. He had no idea what anything was meant to do. Being in his personal intern’s kitchen instead of his lab made things even more difficult. He debated for a bit asking to move things to his lab, but he went back on the idea because he would then have to explain why there was a girl who looked exactly like the Stacy girl who had been brutally murdered. No excuse or amount of money could get him out of that. So he opted to work a bit harder in the Parker’s kitchen.

After some time, Tony decided to test if he had made any progress on the goober. He carefully placed the backing of the goober back on and turned the device back over. Before he did anything, he glanced over to the kids, who both had their eyes glued to the man. He took a deep breath, then tapped on the screen of the device. Nothing. Tony let out a sigh, frustrated that things weren’t working. He grumbled a bit and tapped the screen again, a little harder this time, hoping that the device just had a hard time picking up his touch. This time, the screen lit up and a small display was visible. Tony smiled, happy that something was working. He clicked on the chat symbol and was met with a loading screen. So far so good. Before it could load, he was taken back to the main display. He frowned, and clicked the chat symbol again and hoping it was a one time crash. This time, a texting app like display came up.

“Oh my god I can’t believe it!” Gwen exclaimed, rushing to stand next to the mechanic. “It was giving me so many errors earlier.”

“Well, we aren’t in the clear just yet. I haven’t tried to send a message.”

“Right. Try and send a message. Just click the icon at the top and choose any of the names from the list.”

Tony did as instructed, clicking the icon.

“There’s no names.”

“What?” Gwen nearly screamed.

She grabbed the goober from Tony and looked at an empty list where the names of her friends were supposed to be.

“No! No no nononononono!”

Tears began to well up in the girl’s eyes. Tony reached out to her, wanting to comfort her. He disliked seeing her so upset. He wrapped her tightly in a hug and rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

“Hey,” he began, “It’s okay. We’re almost there, there’s no need to cry. We just need to work on this a bit more, maybe try and find out where the memory is stored and try to recover the data.”

Gwen listened to Tony, trying to control her breathing. Just as she was about to speak, she glitched. Gwen yelped before falling through Tony and hitting the ground. Tony made a face and shivered at the feeling of Gwen passing through him. He could almost feel the pain radiating from the girl. Peter was quick to Gwen’s side, kneeling next to her. He sported a panicked look. Tony joined Peter on the floor, hugging the boy so he didn’t completely break down. There was nothing they could do to stop the glitch. Even though Gwen held the goober, the stabilizer was useless since she wasn’t wearing the device. Tony also didn’t want to risk trying to take the goober from her and attaching it to her wrist. He didn’t know if he would even be able to get the device without it breaking. The only thing either of them was able to do was watch as the girl was torn apart and put back together.

As minutes passed, both began to grow anxious. Previous glitches had been fairly short, but this one was way longer. At some point, May had joined the two on the ground, hugging Peter. All three watched as Gwen’s form switched between solid and what appeared to be a static like state. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the girl solidified. Gwen cried out, tears in her eyes, and curled up into a ball. Tony reached out to Gwen.

“Kid, are you okay?”

Gwen took a shaky breath, trying to compose herself before replying. She then gave her answer, face pressed into the ground.

“I-I am now. I think,” She sniffled before slowly lifting herself off the ground.

Both Peter and Tony helped her up and led her to a chair. Gwen gladly took a seat and then curled up into a ball on the chair. Tony stepped back as Peter took a place next to the girl to try and comfort her and ease the residual pain. Tony glanced at Gwen and Peter before sighing and then took the goober from Gwen’s grasp.

“After that show, I hate to keep this from you, but the sooner I get it fixed, the sooner those spasms stop.”

Neither of the kids spoke, but instead nodded at the mechanic. May sighed and began to make some hot chocolate, figuring that this stressed time called for some comfort drinks. Tony sat down at the table across from Peter and Gwen, and turned the goober over, about to start working on it again. Before he could begin working, the device pinged. The noise made everyone freeze. Tony slowly turned the goober back over. On the front of the device was a chat display, where an unknown person was trying to contact Gwen.

“Uh, kid? Looks like someone’s trying to chat with you.”

Gwen lept from her seat and vaulted over the table to grab the device from Tony. Tony, who wasn’t expecting the movement, jerked back and tried to get away from the ‘attack’. Gwen sensed Tony’s motion and adjusted accordingly, grabbing the goober from the man, landing on the floor, and then leaping onto the table, ending in a crouch. After landing, she began to type into the device, her face showing all of her emotions as she read and responded to the messages. The others watched as she conversed with the person on the other end of the conversation. The conversation continued for several minutes before a smile spread across the girl’s face. Gwen shifted her gaze from the goober to the others in the room.

“That was one of my friends, Peter B,” Gwen glanced at Peter before continuing. “I’ll, uh, just call him B so it’s less confusing. So B said that my other friend Peni is working to get me back home and it’ll only take around 14 hours.”

“Well, that’s great kid!” Tony exclaimed, happy that the girl would be able to get back home.

“This calls for a celebration,” May said, raising a mug to hint at the hot chocolate that she had been making.

“That sounds amazing,” Gwen replied, unable to drop her smile.

May nodded and continued to make the hot chocolate. While they were waiting for the treat, Gwen returned the goober to her wrist and moved to a chair. She was very glad that they no longer needed to work on it and that she wouldn’t be glitching anytime soon. The four of them chatted while May finished up their drinks. Once the hot chocolates were complete, May brought them over to the table and everyone worked to drain the liquid from the mugs. After they emptied their mugs, they continued to talk. Gwen would ask them questions about things in this universe, and in turn answered questions about her universe. In the middle of one of her questions, Gwen let out a long yawn. This caused some chuckles.

“Well, I think it’s time for someone to take a nap,” May stated.

Gwen nodded before replying.

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I haven’t slept since I was tossed into this dimension.”

The others gave her a questioning look, wanting to know exactly how long she had been awake. Gwen noticed their looks, knowing what they wanted to know.

“It’s been a good amount of time. I don’t know exactly how long it’s been, but it’s definitely been a long time.”

“Well, then you don’t get a choice now. Bedtime kid,” Tony said, standing and motioning for Gwen to get up and follow him.

She laughed and followed the man from the kitchen into the living room. Peter and May also follow Tony, who had begun to throw all of their pillows onto one couch. Peter took the hint and went to get blankets from the other room. May watched as Gwen arranged the pillows where she wanted and laid down. Peter arrived again with multiple blankets, which he dropped on top of Gwen. The girl laughed and tucked the blanket into a more comfortable position. Peter decided that he was going to sleep as well, since it had gotten rather late. Tony and May also decided that they were going to turn in. May retired to her room while Tony made a spot on the floor of the living room. It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep.

* * *

Gwen woke up to a very bright room. She rubbed at her face and stretched while sitting up. She looked around, expecting to see one of the others, but found she was alone. At this realization, she stood and made her way into the kitchen. This was where she found Peter, May and Tony sitting at the table chatting away. At her entrance, the conversation slowed before stopping.

“How are you feeling kiddo?” May asked, chuckling a bit.

“A lot better. How long was I asleep?” Gwen asked, holding back a yawn. Peter looked at his phone before replying.

“Uh, about 13 hours, give or take a bit.”

Gwen froze. She couldn’t believe she had been asleep for that long. Normally, she would only be able to sleep for at most eight hours at a time. For her to sleep 13 hours was very abnormal. At the same time, this was great news for her. This meant that she wouldn’t have to spend hours waiting for Peni to make a jump to bring her home. This thought made her break out into a smile.

“13 hours, huh,” she responded. “I guess that means Peni will be here soon.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Peter replied with a slight frown. Gwen picked up on it immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing it’s just, I don’t know. I know you’re not her, but it still hurts to know that you’ll be leaving and probably won’t come back. It’s like I’m losing my friend again.”

Gwen watched as Peter curled in on himself the more he explained. She glanced at May and Tony, who both wore sad looks on their faces. After Peter finished talking, Gwen hugged him.

“I get it, I really do. When I was first thrown into this alternate dimension scene, I went through the same thing. It does get easier, trust me. It’s hard to separate them, but eventually you will and then it gets easier.”

Peter nodded, hugging back tightly. The hug didn’t last long, as Gwen’s spider sense went off. She pulled back quickly and forced Peter behind her in an attempt to protect him. At first, nothing appeared to be there, then the space in front of them began to warp. The air began to feel charged.

“This is your friend, right? Is this supposed to happen?” Tony asked. Gwen refused to take her eyes off of the warping mess in front of her, but still gave an answer.

“It’s never looked like this before. I don’t know if something is different because of how different this universe is to mine, but this is definitely not normal.”

Right after giving her reply, Gwen’s spider sense flared up. Without thinking, she pushed Peter out of the way just before a metal arm came barreling out of the warped ‘portal’. The single metal arm was soon joined by another, then a body, followed by two more metal limbs. Gwen’s stomach dropped as she realized who was standing before them. The man in question looked around the kitchen, smiling the whole time, before his gaze landed on Gwen.

“I’m taking it this isn’t your friend,” Tony said.

“No, this monster is not my friend. His name is Otto Octavius and he is a villain in my dimension.”

“Ah, so you must be the one who was messaging me on that device,” Otto spoke.

“You lied to me,” The man laughed at Gwen.

“Of course I did. You wouldn’t have talked to me if I had told you the truth.”

“No, I wouldn’t have, and I don’t really feel like talking now either.”

“That’s fine with me.”

At those words, Gwen moved to attack. She knew with Octavius she had to move quickly and precisely. He was smart, and could easily read her moves if she wasn’t quick enough. Gwen made to slide under the doctor, hoping to get behind him and give herself some distance so she could get a better attack in.

Otto, although observant, thought the girl would attack how the Spider-Man from his universe would. He was used to very obvious attacks, which is why he believed Gwen would try and hit him right away. To try and counter what he thought she would do, Otto swung one of his metal arms in front of him. The arm only hit air, as Gwen had dropped to the ground and moved underneath him. Once he realized that she had slid under him, Otto swung around, throwing himself slightly off balance.

Gwen took notice of the wobble of the metal arms and used that to her advantage. She shot out a web and swung hard and fast, connecting a kick to one of the metal arms. This caused Otto to twist around and fall part way to the ground. Gwen landed behind the doctor and began moving as soon as her feet hit the ground. Before Doc Ock could react, Gwen was already swinging at him. She made hit after hit on the doctor, not giving him any chance to recover.

Just when Gwen was about to land the final blow, Otto seemed to snap out of his confusion. He lashed out with one of his arms, hitting Gwen in the chest and sending her into the living room. After making the hit, Otto stood and glanced at the others in the room. He noticed that the older man, who he assumed to be Tony Stark, had reached for something. He didn’t care though, as someone else had caught his attention. When he first arrived in this dimension, the girl had been protecting the boy. Otto grinned as he formed a plan. Without a second thought, he grabbed Peter and wrapped him up with one of his extra limbs. After doing so, he turned his attention back to Gwen as she came running back into the room. Otto didn’t give Gwen a chance to attack as he brought Peter around and used him to shield himself from her attacks. Gwen stopped immediately, not wanting to hurt Peter.

“Let him go!” Gwen demanded.

“No. I came here with a plan, and I’m not going to let some little arachnid get in my way.”

“Yeah, well maybe this will change your mind,” Tony spoke, moving so he was standing in front of Otto. In his hand he held a gun, which was carefully trained on the scientist.

“You had a gun?” Gwen asked, her spider sense ringing louder the closer Tony got to her.

“I don’t exactly have a suit of armor, so this is the next best thing.”

Gwen shook her head at Tony’s reply before putting her focus back on Peter. The poor boy was struggling in Doc Ock’s grasp. His face was full of panic.

“If you even think about shooting,” Otto spit, “then the boy gets put six feet under. I’ve done it before, don’t think I won’t do it again.”

Gwen’s eyes widened at his words.

“What do you mean you’ve done it before?”

“Back home, this kid was the reason I could never finish my research, so I got rid of him. He’s nothing but a name on a stone.”

Gwen couldn’t believe what he said. He had killed the Spider-Man of his universe. He had killed his Peter. From the sound of it, he wasn’t even an adult either. Gwen thought for a moment, before finally making a decision.

“What do I have to do for you to release him?”

“Kid, no. Don’t go bartering with the crazed scientist, it won’t end well,” Tony interjected

“What choice do I have?”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Otto interrupted. “I’ll let the boy go in exchange for you.”

“Me? What do you want with me?” Gwen asked, slightly panicked.

“Make the deal and you’ll find out.”

“No, Gwen, this is a bad idea,” Tony said.

“It’s the only one we have that’ll make sure Peter doesn’t get hurt,” Gwen responded.

Gwen relaxed and walked towards Octavius, all the while Tony was trying to convince her to stop. Once she was right in front of him, Otto tossed Peter towards Tony, the two of them colliding and hitting the floor. Otto then took Gwen in his grasp and made his way out of the apartment. As soon as they were out of the building, Otto tightened his grip on Gwen and continued to apply pressure until the girl passed out. That was when he pulled out his device with an intent to make a jump back to his dimension.

His plan was cut short when he realized that someone had been monitoring his activity. He didn’t like that one bit, so he sent a message, letting them know that he knew what they were up to and that he had the upper hand. When his message went without a reply, he decided to up the stakes. He tightened his grip on Gwen even more, causing a small crack to sound. He smiled, and gave them an ultimatum. If they valued the life of their friend, they would bring him what he wanted.


End file.
